Sunsets & Car Crashes
by IBelongInTheOC
Summary: Seth and Summer's relationship ended on an extremely bad note, but when something tragic happens and it brings them back to Newport for a short time, will them seeing each other once again change things? Chapter 9 up!
1. Aim, Snap, Fall

A/N: Before I even start this story, I have to let you know I am not consistent. Don't let that turn you off, I've been told I'm an excellent writer. I do get bored easily, though. So that's why my other story, _Wait for Me and I'll Come Running Back to You_ is on hold right now. So here's my new one.

Before I even start this story, I have to let you know I am not consistent. Don't let that turn you off, I've been told I'm an excellent writer. I do get bored easily, though. So that's why my other story, is on hold right now. So here's my new one.****

Sunsets and Car Crashes

"Aim, Snap, Fall"

I think I've found my new addiction tonight  
The phone call  
Left me paralyzed from the waist down  
The pureness of it all

Living the life of a middle-class 22 year old in New York City wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Each day was an adventure. You barely made it to your office building without being hit by at least 3 taxis. Summer Roberts loved it, however. Her heels clicked and clacked on the marble floor as she entered 611 5th Avenue, her life since about a year ago.

She had inquired an internship after she had spent 2 years in design school with DKNY. Eventually, she would leave there, pursuing her fashion career with her best friend, Marissa Cooper.

"Hi, Joseph," Summer chirped, smiling sweetly at the security guard as she entered the doors, and made her way to the elevator to the 2nd floor. Inside, she met her co-worker, Marcy.

"Hello," the woman muttered coldly.

"Morning, Marcy," Summer responded back.

Summer stepped out of the elevator, cutting Marcy off sharply.

"Hi, Megan," Summer smiled.

"Summer! What are you doing here?"

"What do you mean? I'm here every day, Megan."

"I called you this morning. Told you not to come in until 12."

"Oh, didn't get the message. Is there something going on?"

"No, not at all," Megan answered nervously, looking over at the fitting rooms.

Summer followed the path of Megan's eyes, and looking over at Kelly, frantically running around. Kelly walked over to Summer.

"Summer, take a break. I know you just got here, but go to the food court, finish your coffee."

Summer raised an eyebrow.

"See, we overbooked the schedule. If we have too many people working like we do now, Beth gets angry."

Summer couldn't see how there were too many people working. It looked as if there were only four employees inside the store. Summer opened her mouth to argue, but Kelly gave her a pleading look.

"Oh, all right. I'll be back in 45 minutes."

"Thanks, you're a doll."

An annoyed Summer walked out of the store, knowing she was in the dark about something.

Kelly, relieved that she had gotten rid of Summer so fast, walked back over to the fitting room, and politely knocked on the door. "Mr. Cohen? You can come out now."

Seth stepped out in a very flattering suit. "Thank you," he said, looking at her gratefully. He looked at the doors longingly, and then turned to face the three-way mirror. "How does it look?"

"Absolutely wonderful."

"Good. I'll take it."

Kelly sighed. "She still thinks about you, you know."

Seth looked up suddenly from his wallet, which he had been trying to get his credit card out of for a good 2 minutes. "What?"

"Summer. Sometimes, we go on coffee breaks, and she'll see your name or face somewhere, and she stops breathing for a second."

Seth shook his head. "You don't know what you're talking about. The chapter of me and Summer ended a long time ago."

"I'm just saying."

"You're wrong," he said firmly, grabbing his merchandise, thanking her with a head nod, then walking out the door.

Summer took one last sip of coffee before throwing it in the trash and proceeded to read US Weekly; her bible. She looked out of the corner of her eye and thought she saw a familiar, tall, lanky figure walking out of Saks, but decided it couldn't be Seth Cohen. Seth Cohen wouldn't dare come in here, and he wouldn't dare carry a DKNY bag out of Saks.

She curiously walked back to her place of work, making eye contact with Kelly as she walked in. She walked around to the cashier's desk, and breathed it in. That smell. _His_ smell. Was it weird that she could still smell him. It lingered everywhere she went. That smell that once had come off of him and onto her when they were making out in the back seat of his parents' Range Rover. She'd go home smelling like him, and then she'd wear her shirt to bed, so her sheets could be doused in Seth Cohenness.

It was also the same smell that he gave off when they made love, and the scent in his sweat would seep into hers, and sometimes, she could smell like him for days.

"He was here, wasn't he?"

Kelly slowly nodded her head. "I'm sorry, Summer. He needed a new suit for a party, he called before, and specifically asked for this store, but for you to be removed for a while. At least he was considerate."

"Considerate? _Considerate! _You call asking me to be removed from my job considerate?"

"Let me ask you something, Summer. Would you rather have been here?"

"Of course not, but that's beside the point."

"No, it's not. Let's just get to work and forget this ever happened."

Summer tried to follow her normal routine as much as possible, but she found that the smell that was all too familiar gave her a headache.

Summer was on the verge of tears when Megan, the shift manager, walked over to her. "Go home, sweetie. You need some extra rest."

Summer nodded and thanked her. She grabbed her coat, and took a taxi back to the apartment that she shared with Marissa.

She stormed into the apartment, singing to herself, relieved that she got off work so early, but soon stopped when she found Marissa sitting on the couch, nearly in tears. Her cell phone was pressed against her face.

"Yeah, Sandy, I understand. She just walked in the door. You want to tell her? Okay."

Marissa handed the phone to Summer, who gave her a scared look. Marissa just remained there, waiting for the fall.

"Sandy? What's going on? .. Oh. Thanks for calling. Of course. Okay. Um, bye."

Summer closed the phone, and collapsed on the floor next to Marissa, sobbing uncontrollably. They laid there, Marissa holding her, until Summer gained composure and then stood up. "I should pack."

Marissa sighed and nodded. "Newport, here we go again."

**A/N: Review. Tell me what you think.**


	2. Caterpillars

****

Sunsets & Car Crashes

Chapter 2

"Caterpillar"

And I never thought I'd feel this safe again  
In a million years  
And lying next to you, and hoping that it's true  
And with you I'm truly in my element, my element with you

Marissa had to keep company with her magazines for the duration of the plane ride from New York to California. Summer had taken a sleeping pill as soon as they sat down and fallen asleep. Marissa didn't know what to do. She knew her best friend was hurting, but in a normal situation, she would be in Summer's position. Marissa was lost in thought the whole trip, thinking about what she could do and say to make this easier for Summer.

A flight attendant came over the loudspeaker, "If you could please fasten your seatbelts, we will be landing soon."

Marissa brought her chair. to the up-right position and fastened her seat belt. She hated landings. A bumpy landing signaled a bumpy vacation. Not that you'd call going back to your hometown for a funeral vacation, but no work meant vacation for Marissa. 'Maybe things will be okay,' she thought to herself, but then an image of Ryan and his wife popped into her brain, and she shook her head. 'No, they won't.'

Marissa shook Summer. "Sum?"

Summer lifted her head groggily. "Yeah, Coop, I'm up."

"Good, because we've just landed."

"Did I really sleep the whole plane ride?"

Marissa smiled half-heartedly. "Yeah, you did."

"Oh. Sorry to leave you by yourself."

"It's fine, sweetie, I caught up on my reading."

They stood up, exiting the plane, and then proceeded to go to the baggage claim. After some more waiting, they got into the limo that was scheduled to pick them up, the driver taking them to the Cohen's.

"Don't you want to go to your house, Summer?"

"I'm not ready for that, yet. I'm not ready to face her."

"Okay, we'll wait, then."

Summer nodded, and didn't say another word.

"Thanks, Pete," Marissa said, sliding out of the car, and giving him a tip. She had known the man for a very long time. He was always their driver for the big dances, and the big events. Pete smiled warmly, giving her his condolences with his eyes, and drove away.

"Marissa, will you hold my hand? I don't think I can do this without you."

Marissa clasped Summer's hand. "I was never going to not be without you, Sum."

Marissa rang the doorbell, and they both stopped breathing.

It was Kirsten and Sandy that greeted them. They actually looked surprised. "Summer. Marissa."

Marissa hugged Sandy and Kirsten, while Summer stood back. "We weren't expecting you so soon. The boys aren't even here yet."

Sandy cleared his throat, indicating no more talk about the guys was needed, and then proceeded to hug Summer. "I am so sorry, Summer."

"Thank you, Sandy."

Nothing more was needed. Kirsten stepped in grabbing Summer's luggage. "You two are welcome to stay in the pool house. I can see why you wouldn't want to stay at your house."

Summer nodded. "Sandy, have the arrangements been made?"

Sandy sighed. "Some of them. Neil had asked to be cremated, then spread in the ocean, but I left the dates and time, and where the post-funeral place was to be up to you."

She nodded once more.

He continued, "We also have some stuff to discuss regarding the will; whenever you're ready, of course."

"Let's do it now."

"Summer," Marissa began, "are you sure you're ready for that?"

"Marissa, my dad died, I'm not going to be ready for this 4 months from now, but it needs to be done."

She nodded. "Kirsten, why don't we go catch up?"

Kirsten smiled at Marissa, noticing the change in her character, and followed her out of the kitchen into the pool house.

"Please, sit down, Summer," Sandy said, gesturing to a chair.

"Sandy, let's just get down to it. I don't want to beat around the bush."

"Okay. Where do I begin?"

"The beginning."

"Well, for starters, your father left everything to you. The house, the money, all of your mother's belongings; they're all yours. He did set aside a separate account to leave to your step-mother, but that's basically chump change compared to what you inherited. Your dad was a very wealthy man, more wealthy then he led on to be, I think, and basically, Summer, you're set for life."

"How much are we talking about here?"

"All together, that house, and all the assets? About 34 million dollars."

Summer's jaw dropped.

"That's only if the house is sold and the assets redeemed, the account your father left you contains about 21.5 million dollars."

"Wow."

"Yeah. Wow is right. Now, let's talk about the funeral."

"Okay, well I was thinking. Today's Friday, right? I think Tuesday would be a good day to have the funeral. The reception should be here if possible, or I could even have it at my house, but I don't know."

"That would be okay. Kirsten and I are behind you 100, whatever you want to do."

The slamming of the front door shook the whole house. Ryan laughed. "Sandy, Seth's pissed!"

Sandy chuckled, and said nothing as Summer slipped out the back door into the pool house.

"Fucking California drivers, don't know how to fucking drive."

"Hey, watch the mouth."

"Dad, my car got rear-ended. I haven't been in Newport for an hour yet and already something bad has happened!"

Sandy just hugged his son. "It's good to see you, too."

"This is why I work in New York. The people there are so much better. So much more down to earth."

"I should go pick up Kate," Ryan said, as he watched Kirsten walk in the kitchen, coming from the pool house. He cocked an eyebrow. "Why were you in the pool house?"

"Oh, no reason."

Ryan shrugged it off, and watched the embrace between mother and son. "All right, well, I'm gonna go get Kate."

"Wait, Ryan."

"Yeah?" He asked, turning around on his heel.

"Summer and Marissa are out in the pool house. They don't want you guys to know they're here, but I think you should welcome them before we bring any strangers in the house. They already feel like aliens as it is."

Seth and Ryan looked at each other, panicked. Would Marissa look different? Would she act different? What about Summer?

"Oh, boys, just go out there. Pretend like you're 17 again."

"Actually, Mom, that wasn't _that_ long ago."

Ryan led the way.

The walk to the pool house was too quick for Seth. He tried to slow down Ryan, but there was no stopping him. "I'm not ready for this, Ryan. There's so much happening, a heart attack isn't really in store for me right now."

Ryan gave him a stern look. "I guess I shouldn't say that out loud, right?"

"You should try not to say a lot of things out loud, bud."

"Okay. Okay. Ready?"

Ryan knocked on the door and rolled his eyes. He heard a 'come in' and then slowly opened the door. His heart caught in his throat. Marissa still looked the same, but even more beautiful, than the last time he had seen her. It had been a long time. Her hair was darker, but she still looked the same.

Summer stood up suddenly. Marissa smiled. "Hi, guys," she said, staring at Ryan. He still looked the same; a little more toned, a little more older-looking, but still hot.

They stood in silence for a few minutes. Marissa broke it. "Let's not make this weird," she said, walking over to Seth and giving him a hug, then reaching Ryan, whose embrace lingered quite a bit longer. "Long time, no see."

"Tell me about it," she responded.

Summer and Seth also hugged. She chose not to mention anything about the day before, but that familiar smell brought her back to it. Seth seemed taller, more built, more plump, than the last time she had hugged him.

After their awkward moment had been shared, Ryan spoke up.

"Sandy and Kirsten just left to go out to dinner, and I suggest we do the same. So, Crab Shack anyone? Or the diner?"

"The diner sounds good, actually," Summer said.

"All right, we can take the Range Rover. My car's a bit too small."

"There's only four of us, though," Marissa added, confused.

"No, there's 5. Ryan has to pick up his wife," Seth cut in, sounding annoyed.

"Shut up, Seth."

"Hey, dude, you married her."

"How long have you guys been married?" Marissa asked.

Ryan looked at her awkwardly. This hurt so bad. "A year next Tuesday."

Marissa nodded. "We should go, then."

* * *

They piled in the car, listening to Seth's strange music, heading to the diner. Ryan turned into a neighborhood close by Summer's house, and Marissa eagerly looked out the window at the house that Ryan pulled the car up to.

"Ryan, is this your house?"

Ryan nodded, and honked the horn. "Kate's dad and I made a deal that if I could design a house that was fit for his daughter to live in, then he would build it within a 10 million dollar budget."

"Shit."

"Yeah, her dad is kind of insane."

Marissa saw a petit brunette girl running towards them. Marissa scooted into the middle next to Summer. Kate opened the door. "Hey, babe," she said, smiling sweetly at Ryan, leaning over Marissa to kiss him. Marissa rolled her eyes. Ryan cleared his throat. "Kate, this is Marissa, and that's Summer."

"Hi!" She said, shaking each of their hands.

"Hi," Summer said, while Marissa remained quiet.

"I'm sorry to hear about your dad, Summer."

Seth closed his eyes. He knew that was coming. "It's okay," he heard her whisper.

"I'm turning the music back up!"

Summer smiled graciously.

* * *

They reached the diner. Kate turned up her nose. "I hate this place."

Summer looked at her. "Really? Because all of us love it. We actually kind of grew up in it."

Kate didn't say anything further. She hopped out of the car, Marissa following, slamming the door a little harder than she should have. She saw Ryan hug his wife, and whisper something to her. She felt the tears prick her eyes. That could have been her. It should have been her.

They sat down in a booth and waited for the waiter to come.

"Hi, what can I get for you tonight?"

"Drinks to start? Everyone?" Seth asked.

Everyone ordered water except Summer. "Can I have a beer? I don't care what kind."

Seth raised an eyebrow, and smiled at her. "Actually, beer sounds good. I'll have one as well."

"Me too," Ryan said.

"You drink beer, Sweetie?"

"Yeah, every once in a while. Is that okay, baby?"

She smiled at the name. "Sure."

He snaked his arm around her; that was when she noticed he wasn't wearing his wedding ring.

"Ryan, where's your ring?"

"In the house. I was doing some work today, and then I forgot to put it back on."

"You forgot?"

"Yeah, just to put it back on. I was rushing to get out of the house to go pick up Seth. It's not like I forgot I was married to you."

The waitress then brought their beer and everything was forgotten.

* * *

2 hours and 6 beers later, Summer Roberts was drunk. Ryan had stopped at 2, Seth stopped at 1, and Marissa and Kate were completely sober.

"This is why I don't drink, I hate making a fool of myself."

"Summer doesn't really care that much."

"I think that we should go; get her home," Seth said, looking at Summer with a worried expression, who had now started to cry.

"Summer," Marissa began, and put her arm around her, "what's wrong?"

She sighed, tears pouring down her face. "I just miss this, you know?"

Marissa nodded.

"We came here every day after school. I sat by Seth and you sat by Ryan, and everything was fine. Now..,"

"Now what, Sum?"

"Now everything is just fucked up."

"All right, we're gonna get you home," Marissa said, sliding out of the booth. Kate was looking at the girls with utter disgust, and Marissa felt like slapping her.

Seth walked around to the booth. "I'll get her."

He scooped her up like a baby, carrying her outside. He placed her in the backseat, sitting next to her, letting Kate sit in the front with Ryan.

"Seth?"

"Yeah, Sum?"

"I want to go home."

"I know. We're getting there."

"No. I want to go to my home. My dad's house."

"Oh. I don't know, Summer. Are you sure?"

"Positive. And I want you to go with me."

Ryan looked back at Seth, pulling up to his house. Kate hopped out.

"I'll see you later tonight?"

"Maybe. I might stay at the Cohen's. I'll call you?"

She nodded. "Love you."

"Love you, too."

Ryan looked back as soon as she closed the door. "Where to?"

"Summer's house," Seth said, nodding.

Marissa whispered. "I'll just stay in the pool house tonight."

"Yeah, that's good. I'll bring her to you in the morning," Seth said, as Ryan pulled into Summer's driveway.

Seth scooped her into his arms and shut the door of the car. Ryan waited until they got inside before telling Marissa it was okay that she sat in the front seat with him.

"I'm fine back here, thanks," she said.

Ryan rolled his eyes, and heard Marissa mutter something. "What was that?" He said, turning around.

"Nothing, I just said that I hate this."

"I hate it, too, Marissa. But this is your fault. You could have had me. We could have had each other."

"I don't need you to remind me. I live with it every day."

He sighed. "I'm just going to get you home, okay?"

"Okay."

He dropped her off minutes later, her almost in tears, and him deeply regretting the words that he spoke to her.

Summer had managed to stay awake long enough to put her pajamas on. She didn't even care that Seth was in the room. He had flushed a deep red and began to leave, but she told him not to bother. She had argued the point that it wasn't like he had never seen her in the nude before. He decided it was true, but turned around anyway.

He helped her into bed, and pulled the covers over her. Then, he walked over to the couch that him and Summer had fallen asleep on many times before watching TV. He was lying there, listening to her breathe, when he heard her stir.

"Seth?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you come lay with me?"

Seth hesitated. "I'm not sure that's such a good idea, Summer."

"Please?"

He sighed. "Okay."

He walked over to the bed, and climbed in. Her body immediately responded to his. She put one hand in the crook between his neck, and the other underneath his back. She wrapped one leg around his, and closed her eyes.

Seth tried not to react. It took all of his willpower not to wrap his arms around Summer.

When they were still together in high school, they would go to parties, and Summer would just get really drunk, and then she'd come home with Seth, and go to sleep with him exactly like they were now. And then she'd wake him up at 7 in the morning wanting to have sex. Seth wished that could happen. He wished for one night, this night, they were still back in high school. Instead, he sighed, turned over, and embraced Summer. He kissed her forehead.

"Good night, Summer."

* * *

Both slept better that night than they had in a long time. 


	3. The Tide

**Sunsets & Car Crashes**

_Chapter 3_

'_The Tide'_

**A/N: Thanks for all the awesome reviews. Keep them coming. Here's chapter 3. Oh, also, a pretty racy sex scene in this one, so if you're uncomfortable with that, I wouldn't read this chapter. )**

_And take this advice, live by every word  
Love is just a hoax so forget everything that you have heard

* * *

_

Summer woke up the following morning to the noise of her television and a pounding headache. She looked over at the noise that was causing her headache to be an even bigger pain in the house and saw Seth Cohen in a pair of boxers with no shirt on. She looked under the covers and saw that she still had clothes on, but she couldn't figure out why she was in her bed, and Seth was on her couch. Had she gone back in time?

"Seth, what are you doing here?"

Seth jumped up suddenly and scrambled to put his shirt on. "Summer, I didn't expect you to be up for another couple hours."

"Okay. Why are you here?"

Seth sighed. "Uh, you asked me to come home with you last night. You were pretty drunk."

"Oh, god," she said, putting her hand to her head, the events of last night coming back to her, "did I hit on you?"

Seth shrugged.

"Fuck."

"It's fine, don't worry about it. I guess now that you're up, I should go."

"You can stay if you want. Your company doesn't bother me."

He shrugged again, and sat back down on the couch. He turned off the TV after a few minutes and looked over at her. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Talk about what?"

"Your dad."

Tears pricked her eyes, and she hung her head. She nodded slightly. "I want to talk about it, but I just can't form the words."

"I understand, but if you want to, I'm here."

"I know."

"Okay. Just letting you know."

"Thanks," she said, grabbing his hand and giving it a slight squeeze.

"Is it cool if I shower here? I have to meet up with Kate and Ryan for lunch."

"Yeah, that's fine."

"You're welcome to join if you want."

"With you in the shower?" She asked, shocked.

He smiled, embarrassed. "No, for lunch."

"Oh. Yeah, I guess that would be okay."

Seth grabbed a towel from the cupboard where she still kept them after many years, and then walked into her bathroom to shower. Summer stood up and went into the guest bathroom. She showered, cleansing her body from the smell of beer and Seth, and then went back into her room.

She walked into the room with just a towel on, which is what Seth was wearing also, and they both turned around.

"Uhh…,"

"Hold on a second, let me put a robe on," she said.

"Okay. Holding."

She smiled and wrapped a robe around her petit figure.

"Okay, all clear."

He turned back around, not caring that he was still in a towel, whistling to himself. He reached down into her bottom drawer and pulled out a shirt and a pair of jeans that he had kept at her house for the purpose of nights like they had had. Her jaw dropped, amazed he still remembered those were there, but quickly closed her mouth before he noticed.

They followed the routine they had in high school. He would shave and brush his teeth while she put on her make-up. Then she'd blow dry her hair while he did his hair. Granted her hair took a lot longer to do, but still. Then they would get dressed together, and he'd smack her bare butt while she was running around in a thong and bra trying to figure out what she was wearing.

The routine was followed minus the butt-slapping, but it still felt right; and while he was brushing his teeth and she was putting on mascara, he looked over at her, and he winked, and it felt like old times, and she just felt like she was 17 again.

And to her surprise, it felt nice.

She sneaked into her closet to put on some clothes, a denim mini skirt and a tank with a cute pair of wedges to go with. She walked out, Seth waiting by the door, a vintage tee on with jeans. She noticed the jeans fitted a little tighter than they had back then, but he looked adorable. She bit her tongue and didn't say anything.

"Ready?"

"Yeah. How exactly are we getting there?"

"I called a cab, I figured you would be okay with it since you live in New York City and all."

She laughed appreciatively and nodded. "It's fine."

Seth opened the door for her, and she slid over, leaving a space for him to sit.

"Where are we going?" She asked.

"The club. It's Kate's favorite."

Summer rolled her eyes. "I could get something equally as good; probably better, at the Crab Shack."

"That's what I say, but there's no arguing with her, so whatever."

"Then why do you go?"

Seth sighed. "It's so complicated. Once a week, usually on a Wednesday, I fly here and see him and my parents, spend the night, then go back Thursday morning. Ridiculous, I know, but that's the only way that my parents can see Ryan."

"What?" Summer asked, confused.

"Eh…Kate's a very controlling person. My mom and dad don't like her, and she knows that, so she refuses to go to the house, and she gets really mad when Ryan goes there by himself. He even has a hard time getting her there during the holidays. It's so fucked up."

"So where do you come in?"

"If Ryan tells Kate that I'm in town, she's fine with the family going out together."

"Ryan's been coming around while we're here, though."

Seth looked over at Summer. "Do you really have to wonder why?"

"Marissa?"

"Oh yeah."

"He still loves her?"

Seth shrugged. "You'll have to talk to Ryan about it. There's so much more detail about Kate that even I don't know. Ryan doesn't like me telling people. He'll tell you when he's ready."

Summer nodded and looked out the window as they pulled up to the club. "Be prepared," Seth warned, "last night was _nothing_ compared to how it's going to be today."

Seth and Summer entered the restaurant and were led to an already seated Ryan and Kate. "Hey, guys," Seth greeted, and Summer gave a polite wave. Seth pulled out a chair for Summer, which Kate furrowed her brow at, then continued looking at the menu.

"How was your guys' morning?"

Summer smiled and rolled her eyes, while Seth looked at her. "It was a little stressful, but we caught up on old times," she answered.

Kate looked up again from her menu. "Did you guys have sex?"

Seth almost spit out the water he had been drinking. He looked at her, wide-eyed.

"Kate!" Ryan exclaimed, looking taken aback.

"I'm sorry, it's just, you two spent the night together alone, and now he's holding doors open for you and pulling your chair out. Ryan doesn't even do that for me."

"It's called common courtesy," Seth said, giving her a sarcastic smile.

"Really? Ryan doesn't do that for you? Funny, he always did it for Marissa."

Ryan cleared his throat in discomfort. Kate looked at her husband. Summer hated her already.

"I think I'm going to get the filet mignon. What are you getting, Sweetie?"

"I'm not that hungry, I'll just have some water."

Kate looked upset. "Why do we go out? You never eat."

"I'm not hungry, babe. Seth and Summer will eat."

"Oh, all right."

They ordered their food, and as soon as it got there, Summer dug in. Kate looked at her in disgust, and Summer looked up.

"Is there a problem with the way I eat now?"

"No. Well, it's no wonder you've put on a few pounds since high school, eating like that. I guess you must have taken on Marissa's food, too, with how thin she looks."

Ryan closed his eyes in horror. Seth's jaw dropped, and Summer stood up suddenly. Seth looked at Kate, almost telling her to prepare for what was to come next.

"Listen, _bitch_, I don't know if Ryan or Seth has told you about me, but you should know I don't take shit from snobby little girls like you. I grew up with half of the women in this town, and I can already see you're about half a step from becoming one. I can't even see why Ryan's with you, how you guys found each other, I don't even want to know. And as for insulting my best friend, who is 20 times more beautiful than you are, and twice the woman you'll ever be, she's skinny because she's depressed, so before you open your fucking mouth, why don't you make sure you know who you're dealing with first," she finished in a rage. Half of the restaurant was looking at her, as she threw her napkin down, picked up her purse, and almost ran into Marissa face first heading to the door.

"Summer, why are you leaving? I was just coming to sit down."

Summer rolled her eyes. "Marissa, best advice all year, don't even acknowledge that cunt sitting over there."

Marissa's eyes widened. She knew Summer hated when people said the word cunt, and she only used it; actually, Marissa had never heard her use it directed at someone. Summer stomped out of the restaurant, and Marissa carefully walked over to the table.

"Did I miss something?"

Seth still had his mouth open from the shock of it all, Ryan was looking at Kate, infuriated, and Kate was looking down at her plate.

Marissa sat down in Summer's former spot, looking at Seth. Ryan was the first to speak.

"I don't even know what to say, Kate. Have you no etiquette on the proper way to act around people? I can't even believe that came out of your mouth."

"I'm sorry, okay! You bring these two beautiful girls from your past around again and you expect me to be okay with it, Ryan? This is ridiculous."

"We're not here for Ryan, Kate. We're here for Summer's father. For once, this isn't about what used to be. We've all moved on."

"It sure doesn't seem like it, Marissa. Ryan still has a picture of you in his wallet."

Marissa looked down. "We're _friends_," she said.

"Prove it," she said, standing up, and walking out.

Seth stood up. "I should probably go get Summer," he said, and walked off as well.

Ryan threw some cash on the table, and signaled the waiter. "Let's take a walk?" He asked her, and she nodded.

* * *

They walked in silence, neither really having much to say, because of the previous events, they had a lot to think about. 

"I still love you, Marissa, you know that, right?"

Marissa looked over at him, a confused expression on her face. "Why are you doing this, Ryan?"

"I never stopped," he continued, not hearing her, "I was just so hurt when you left that I convinced myself that I didn't. And when I married Kate, I knew. Hell, Kate even knows. I think everyone knew before I finally figured it out. But I've made this life, and you coming here, it's just making it too tempting not to walk away from it. I'd give all of this up if I could just do our senior year over again."

She nodded. "Me too."

"But for now, just try to ignore Kate. I know she's difficult, but she just feels threatened."

Marissa nodded again. "Okay, I'll try."

He smiled graciously. "Thanks, and I'll try to make her tone down her comments a bit."

Marissa laughed. "What did Summer say to her?"

"Oh, god, it was awful. Many swear words involved."

She chuckled. "It's getting cold. Wanna get back?"

"Yeah."

They walked back, chatting about the years of their lives that the other hadn't been a part of.

Ryan drove her home to the Cohen's, and when he opened the door for her, walked her inside, said hello to his parents, then walked back out, she knew he was still the one.

* * *

Seth had found Summer almost instantly when he walked out of the restaurant. "Summer?" he called, finding her on a bench. Seth could tell that Summer was so angry she was almost in tears, so he put his hand on the small of her back, whispering in her ear, "I'll take you home." 

When they got back to her house, he walked her up into her room. She sat down on the bed.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked her, sounding genuinely concerned.

She looked up into his eyes, and noticed how good how good he looked, sitting next to her on the bed, his body turned toward hers, on foot on the floor, the other tucked underneath him. His hands were behind him, and felt a sudden surge of arousal through her. She stood up suddenly, surprising Seth. "Summer?"

"No. Seth, I don't want to talk about it. I want-- I don't know what I want."

"I can leave you alone, if that's what you need?"

She looked up at him, his eyebrow raised in question.

"No!" She threw her hands up in frustration.

"Calm down, tiger," he said, a slight smile forming on his lips, and before he knew it, Summer was on top of him, kissing him like she would never kiss him again. At first, he didn't know what to do. Summer Roberts was on top of him, kissing him, and he wasn't responding back. So he did the only thing he knew how to do.

He wrapped his arms around her and deepened the kiss. Summer was going fast, signaling she wanted him; bad. Seth smiled into the kiss, and rolled over. He put one of his hands on each side of her to steady himself, and kept kissing her. Their romantic moment continued until Seth stopped it.

"Summer," he panted, "as much as I love kissing you, you know we shouldn't be doing this."

Summer propped herself up on her elbows, looking at Seth. "I know. But do you really want to stop?"

He cocked his eyes to the side. "Good point," he said, then attacked her with his lips. She tugged at his sweater with her arms, and he temporarily stopped kissing her, so she could take it off. Then, she lifted her arms above her head, and he pulled of her tank top.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered, as he began kissing Summer's neck, which he knew was her weakness. She moaned softly, and moved her hands to his belt buckle.

"Summer," he moaned.

"Seth, shut up. We're doing this."

He smiled at her sudden aggression. Soon, Seth's pants were off, and he was left in his boxers, Summer in her bra and underwear. Seth was kissing every inch of her, and when he went down on her, she arched her back and screamed his name in ecstasy. Seth crawled to her, stroking her face with his index finger. "Are you sure?"

"Seth, I'm not sixteen anymore. I know when I want to have sex."

Seth arched an eyebrow. She smiled. He kissed her. She climbed on top of him, and Seth watched as he slowly entered her. Summer being on top was definitely a new position for them, and Seth was pretty much enjoying himself. He watched as Summer moved back and forth, up and down, and then he slowly began meeting her thrusts. They were both breathing heavily, almost in sync; and when Seth was ready, he put one hand on each of her hips, and began thrusting faster; harder.

"Summer," he moaned.

"Seth, oh my god," she screamed, and then began whimpering. She collapsed on his chest, shaking from her impending orgasm.

Seth chuckled, and flipped her over. He kissed her slowly. She closed her eyes, and enjoyed it. She missed this.

"That was amazing," he whispered in her ear.

She nodded, and closed her eyes as his hands again wandered to her nether region. She moaned slightly as he stroked her. "You got so much better at having sex, Seth," she said to him.

He just laughed and kissed her. "I should go. We went at it for a while, I need to get home and go to sleep."

She nodded. "Or you could sleep here," she said, giving him a seductive smile.

Seth sighed. "Summer, what are we doing?"

"Having fun?" She responded.

"I can't just sleep with you, and be with you, and classify it as just 'having fun', Summer."

"I know, Seth," she said, "can we just not talk about this right now? I just need you."

He nodded. "Okay," he said, putting on his boxers, and slipping into bed with her.

Silent tears streamed down her streaks, and she cuddled up closer to Seth.

"Hey," he whispered, wiping away her tears, "it's okay. I'm always here."

* * *

And for the second night in a row, he waited for her to fall asleep before he, himself, fell into a deep slumber.

* * *

Review! 


	4. Your Evil Soul

**Sunsets & Car Crashes**

**Chapter 4**

_Your Evil Soul_

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Here's chapter 4.**

_I know you never meant to do everything you put me through  
It's okay I forgive you  
Just know that when you see me cringe sometimes  
I'm trying to rid the poison from my mind _

**Sunday**

Summer woke up with no one beside her and a single pink rose on the pillow next to her. She smiled at his sweet gestures and spent the next hour in bed marveling the previous night's events, and wondering what would happen next.

Seth whistled a tune as he rang the doorbell to Ryan's house. Kate answered, wearing one of Ryan's shirts, and he gave her a polite smile.

"Getting a late start this morning, are we?"

Kate gave him a sarcastic smile. "Actually, if you're looking for Ryan, he isn't here. He went to the Cohen's early this morning. Something about the fundraiser your mom is holding tonight."

"Did he go to help out?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Man, heavy-lifting, here I come. See you later, Kate," he said, turning around and walking away.

"Seth?"

He whipped around.

"When you see Ryan, will you tell him to give me a call?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I'll be sure to do that."

Seth reached the house a few minutes later, finding Ryan almost instantly talking to Marissa outside of the house. He had her laughing, and Seth watched the two interact. He had never seen two people so in love that weren't together.

"Hey, man. Marissa," he said, greeting them with a wave.

Marissa raised her eyebrows. "Where were you last night?" She asked, poking him in the stomach.

Seth blushed. "My sleeping arrangements are none of your business, Marissa Cooper."

She smiled, and winked at Ryan. Ryan responded with a toothy grin.

"Oh, Ryan, Kate told me to tell you to call her."

"You talked to Kate?" He asked curiously.

"Yeah. I stopped by your house. I didn't know you'd be here."

"You know, Seth, that's why we do have cell phones."

Seth flipped him off and walked out of the room. "Just call her, man, or she'll probably castrate me or something."

Marissa laughed and looked at Ryan. "You should call your wife."

Ryan nodded, picked up the phone, and walked away.

* * *

Later that evening, Ryan found Seth in his old room. He knocked twice and walked in. 

"Hey, man," Ryan greeted him, sitting on the bed with Seth, his back facing him.

Seth nodded, his earphones in, a notebook in his hand. "Story ideas?"

Seth nodded again, and pulled the earphones out. He set the notebook down beside him and positioned himself next to Ryan. He sighed. "The company wants me to pitch a potential T.V. show for them. It's due in two weeks and I haven't even started."

Ryan nodded. "I know how you feel. I have this huge house I'm supposed to be designing for Kate's dad."

"What for?"

"I don't know. Real estate reasons."

Seth nodded. "Yeah, I'm trying to get inspiration from Atomic County, but I want to make it real, you know?"

"Yeah."

They sat in silence for a little while. Ryan nudged Seth. Seth looked at Ryan, seeing the huge grin on his face. "You and Summer?"

Seth returned the goofy smile. "Yeah."

"That's great, man."

Seth sighed. "I don't know what's going to happen. Her dad just died, and it just kind of happened. I know I still love her, but I don't know if we can be together. Not after, you know, everything."

Ryan nodded. "Yeah, it's hard after so much has happened, but you need to tell her how you feel."

Seth nodded. "I know."

"Well, I gotta get ready for this thing tonight. See you there?"

"Definitely."

* * *

Marissa walked into Summer's room to find her still in bed. She smiled. "Was it really that wild of a night?" 

Summer looked over. "You have no idea."

Marissa sat on the bed. "I haven't had good sex in such a long time."

"What about that Italian guy that was on a foreign exchange trip last year? Uh, Tony, wasn't it?"

Marissa's eyes widened. "Didn't I tell you never to bring that up again?"

Summer laughed. "He was hot, Coop."

"He was hot, I'll give him that much, but not up to standards in the bedroom."

"Well, he was a high school student, so that might have something to do with it."

Marissa grabbed a pillow from the other side of the bed, and hit Summer in the face with it. Summer giggled, and hit her back with her own pillow. After their pillow fight, they both collapsed back onto Summer's bed, breathing heavily. Marissa looked over at Summer, still laughing. She was glad to see her best friend laughing again. It had been a long three days since she had seen her enjoy herself. Except last night, but that really wasn't any of her doing. "I came over here to tell you to get ready for Kirsten's fundraiser tonight."

Summer nodded. "Okay, I'll start getting ready," she said, standing up and walking into her bathroom.

Marissa watched her nervous movements.

"Hey, Sum?"

"Yeah, Coop?"

"Are you going to bring up Seth or should I?"

Summer shoulders slumped, and her happy expression immediately changed. "Oh, Coop. I don't know what I'm going to do."

"What do you think is right?"

"I know what I want. I want to be with Seth. But after everything we've put each other through, I just don't see it working. Last night was amazing, but I can't help thinking that it was just because I needed someone. Yes, I love him, but having sex with him was a mistake."

"Tell him that, then, Sum. You need to tell him how you feel."

"I know, Marissa, but it isn't that easy. I know I'm just gonna hurt him. And hurting him is like hurting me, too."

"You know what you have to do, babe."

"I know."

* * *

Seth loosened his tie for the fifth time in 20 minutes. Ryan, holding a glass of champagne looked over at him. "Summer here?" 

Seth shot a glance at him. "No, don't think so."

Ryan slapped him on the shoulder, took a sip of champagne, and said, "Figured out what you're going to say to her?"

"Not a clue."

Ryan nodded, and looked around. "Uh-oh, three-o'-clock, Seth."

Summer and Marissa entered the backyard of the Cohen home, looking elegant in their dresses. Seth saw Summer grab a glass of champagne right away, and decided that maybe he needed some alcohol as well. He walked over to the bartender. "Vodka on the rocks with a twist," he said, and the bartender immediately began making his drink. He looked behind him and saw Ryan talking to Kate, Marissa talking to Kirsten and Sandy, and Summer walking towards him. His cell phone rang at the exact moment that she was about to say hello, and he excised himself from her, seeing that his boss was calling.

"Seth Cohen," he answered, walking into his mom and dad's room.

Summer waited outside with Marissa for 45 minutes until Seth returned. Marissa walked off to find Ryan as soon as she saw Seth emerge from the house.

"Hey, can we talk?" Summer asked.

He smiled. "Yeah, I was just going to ask you the same thing."

"Good."

He put his hand on the small of her back, leading her into the house. He decided the kitchen wasn't an appropriate place, so he again walked her into his parent's room.

"Seth…,"

"Wait, Summer, let me go first."

She furrowed her brow. "Okay."

"A lot has happened in the short time we've been here. Last night was amazing, I've wanted that for so long. Having you in my arms was one of the things that I needed to get through this weekend. This morning, I came home, I had a long talk with Ryan, and I spent half the day thinking about you, and what I was going to say when this moment came. Summer, all my life I've known that you're the woman I'm supposed to be with. At one point or another in our lives, we were supposed to be together."

"What are you saying?"

"What I'm saying is that maybe that point in time has already passed, maybe we're not supposed to be together anymore. Summer, be bring each other so much joy, but with that, so much more pain. I know that eventually, one of us would hurt the other again, and I can't deal with losing you again."

"Seth, you don't mean that. What happened--that happened a long time ago."

"Doesn't mean I've forgotten about it," he said, the mood darkening, his eyes not looking so soft.

Her voice got angry. "I wasn't the only one that fucked up, Seth. You can not blame all of this on me."

"Summer, what's in the past will stay there. But that can affect some decisions that I'm making right now. Plus, I can't be there for you in the way that you need. I have a job that I have to get back to tonight. That's why my boss called about an hour ago."

"You're leaving tonight?"

"I have to."

"Seth, my dad's funeral is in two days."

"If I don't go back, I lose the position I have."

Summer's tears tasted salty as they leaked out of her eyes and curved around her once rosy cheeks and into her mouth. "Fine. Go."

"Summer, I'm sorry."

"No. You aren't, but it's okay. It's not like I haven't gotten used to you leaving anyway."

Seth kissed her forehead, and mysteriously walked out of the room. Summer collapsed on the floor, sobbing.

* * *

Okay, so I majorly left things up in the air, and next chapter will surprise and probably upset some people. But yeah, so review! 

And I don't know what to do about Ryan and Marissa, so it'd be great if someone would help me with that!

Thanks.

.emily.


	5. Bracelets

_**Sunsets & Car Crashes**_

**Chapter 5**

'Bracelets'

**A/N: Italics represent the past. Except for below, which are lyrics from The Spill Canvas. If you haven't listened to their music already, I strongly suggest you do. It's amazing. **

_I was hoping I could tell you this with two feet on the ground  
But I don't think I can talk, because I'm not very stable right now  
No, I'm not very stable right now  
No, I'm not very stable right now_

Seth sighed, leaned back in the uncomfortable airplane chair, trying to relax. He wasn't able to get first class at the last minute, and he cursed his boss for it. He was fucking Seth Cohen, first class shouldn't be a problem. He sighed again, and rolled his eyes at the passing flight attendants, who wouldn't stop smiling at him. He had met most of them before; flying too much had such tendencies. He couldn't close his eyes and avoid them because every time he did, he saw Summer's face. Sitting on an airplane, and seeing Summer's face every time he closed his eyes reminded him of a time he wasn't too keen on remembering.

* * *

_Seth Cohen, an incoming freshman at Brown University, unlocked the door to his new dorm room. He had been assigned a single dorm, which didn't really bother him, considering now he could have Summer over all he wanted without having to worry about a roommate getting in the way. _

_It had been ironic that they had both been accepted to Brown. The representative who had come to Harbor told the two teens that Brown usually only accepted one student from Harbor. _

_When Summer and Seth both got acceptance letters, they were shocked, but most of all excited._

_Seth got settled in and began unpacking, when Summer walked in. He smiled at her presence._

"_Hey," he whispered._

"_Hi."_

_She walked over to him and gave him a long, passionate kiss. _

"_I love you," he said, letting his forehead rest against hers._

_She smiled. "I know. I love you, too."_

_Their first few months were ugly. College was a lot harder than high school. It involved a lot more studying, and Seth wasn't able to get away to see Summer as much as he liked. Fighting between the two of them was becoming more and more common. _

_Just before winter break, Summer wasn't talking to Seth for some stupid reason. Seth didn't even remember why, but when he had gotten accepted into NYU second semester for their film program, he didn't have anyone to celebrate with. His buddy, Mike, who lived next door, and could relate to Seth, decided to take him to a party. _

"_Dude, I don't even know how I'm going to tell Summer about this NYU thing," Seth said._

"_Just tell her. If she loves you, she'll understand."_

"_Yeah. This whole college thing has really fucked up me and Summer's relationship."_

"_Yeah, I know what you mean," Mike said, tapping his knuckles on the steering wheel. _

_The party had clearly started when Mike and Seth arrived. A beer was shoved in their hands, and they walked off, in search of people they knew. _

_By midnight, Seth was drunk and stumbling around an unfamiliar house when he was trying to find a bathroom was a bitch. _

_Mike pointed down a hallway, and mouthed 'to the left' to him, so he tried to go that way. He opened the bathroom door, seeing that it was connected to the master bedroom. He closed the door, hearing that there were people 'occupied' in the bedroom, and took a piss. He could slowly hear Summer's giggle form its way into his brain. He furrowed his brow, and then he made the connection. _

_He opened the door slowly, and he found he had been right. _

_Summer's voice was like nails on a chalkboard to him when she spoke. "Um, excuse me, we're kind of busy."_

"_Sorry for interrupting," he said calmly. Summer whipped around._

"_Oh my god, Seth," she said, jumping off the bed, trying to find her clothes. He chuckled at her. _

"_Summer, finish. We all know you don't like to start something and not finish it."_

_Seth turned around and walked away, his anger growing with every step. He stepped outside, bumming a cigarette off one of the guys that had been outside. Then, he started his walk home. His dorm room seemed miles away, but it was really only about a 20 minute walk. He finished off the cigarette, then saw a dinky little mart on the side of the road. He bought a pack, smoking 3 more before he reached his destination. _

_He knocked on Summer's door, hoping that her roommate would answer. Luckily for him, she did. _

"_Hey," he said._

"_Hey, you look like shit."_

_He smiled through his drunken stupor. "Yeah? Well, it's been a long night."_

"_Summer's not here."_

"_I'm not looking for her," he spat._

"_Seth, why are you here?"_

"_To pick up some of my stuff."_

"_Oh. Come on in."_

_Seth walked in, looking around. It would take him hours to locate all of the shit Summer had taken from him. First, he went to her desk, and looked at the framed picture Summer had of them on graduation. He knocked it on to the floor, watching it shatter. Her roommate looked up in surprise. He grabbed a couple of his CDs, his iPod, a few movies, and her favorite hoodie of his. It was his favorite, too. Like hell he'd let her keep it. He walked towards the door._

"_Hey, tell Summer if she wants to say bye to me, that I'll be leaving tomorrow at 2."_

_Jen, Summer's roommate nodded._

"_Night."_

_Seth had a sleepless night. It was just the thing he needed before getting on a plane. He got out of bed at 6, knowing he had a lot of packing to do, and so little time. Mike came in around 10, peeking his head in. "Hey man, I heard."_

_Seth nodded. "Great going away present, eh?"_

_Mike smiled sympathetically. "You need help?"_

"_Nah. Just drive me to the airport?"_

"_Yeah. Sure."_

_Seth nodded, watching him walk away. His room was already half-packed. He was having Mike ship the rest to his new dorm room. He was sitting on his bed, wondering whether Summer was going to come by, and what he would say, when she walked in._

_He jumped up from his place on the bed. _

"_Hi," she said meekly. _

_He nodded at her._

"_You're leaving?" She whispered._

"_Uh, yeah. I got accepted into NYU for their film program."_

"_When?"_

"_I got the acceptance letter a couple days ago. I'm moving in, then going home for Christmas break."_

"_Oh."_

"_Yeah."_

"_Seth…"_

"_Summer, I don't want to talk about it."_

"_Cohen."_

"_Don't call me that."_

_Tears formed in her eyes._

"_Don't you fucking cry. This is your fault. I knew we were having problems, but I didn't think you would ever just jump into bed with the next guy you saw."_

"_I'm sorry," she sobbed._

"_Yeah, that doesn't take it back. I'm leaving, Summer."_

"_Let me drive you to the airport."_

"_I already asked Mike to. Plus, as far as I'm concerned, we've already said our goodbyes to each other."_

"_So, we're done, just like that?"_

_He scoffed at her in disbelief. "Summer, you cheated on me. Do you expect me to welcome you back with open arms?"_

"_No, Seth, I don't."_

"_Plus, I'm leaving, this is probably easier anyway."_

_At this point, Mike walked in the room. "You ready?" He asked, giving Summer a quick glance._

"_Yeah. Almost."_

_Mike grabbed one of Seth's suitcases. "I'll be out in the car."_

"_All right," he answered._

_Summer stood their, arms crossed over her chest, waiting for Seth to say something._

"_I guess I'll see you?" He offered. _

_She nodded, more tears spilling down her cheeks. He sighed. "I'm sorry it has to end like this, Summer."_

"_Me too," she said._

_He picked up his suitcase and laptop, walking towards the door. He stopped in front of her. She looked up at him. He brought his lips to her forehead, and as soon as she opened her eyes again, he was gone.

* * *

_

Seth snapped out of his memory. He remembered that he hadn't gone back to California that Christmas vacation. He had stayed in New York, having an awful Christmas. Ryan had kept him informed about Summer. She had dropped out of Brown, moved back to Newport, and attended a local college. Seth had refused to come home for all the years that Summer remained in Newport. When he found out that she moved to New York, he finally made his way home to visit his family. 

One of the flight attendants passed by, telling him to bring his seat upright and to buckle up. He raised his eyebrows. That plane ride had gone by fast.

He got off the plane as quickly as possible, retrieved his luggage, then headed to the car that was waiting for him.

"Hello, Mr. Cohen. Good trip?" His driver asked.

"It could have been better," he said, giving him a slight smile.

His driver dropped him off at his penthouse pretty late that night, so Seth was exhausted. He stumbled in the door, feeling for the light switch, he walked to his kitchen counter, put his keys down, and hit the button on his answering machine. Marissa's voiced flooded his ears.

"Seth, I just got done talking to Summer, and I'm not calling to lecture you, but I just want to let you know that she's hurt pretty bad by this. Not even being able to stay for two days longer just so you could support her, and be there for her through this hard time? Seth, I know you love her, and I know that scares you, but you can't just walk away from this. You two belong together, no matter what your pasts have been like. I love you, Seth."

He heard the beep, and he closed his eyes, deleting the message.

Then he heard Ryan's voice.

"Seth, man, I know in high school, you and I weren't exactly the best at relationships, and it took me a while, what with losing Marissa, and getting her back, to realize that no obstacle in your way is worth losing her over. Now, Marissa and I can't be together, and you know my true feelings on that. Seth, you know that when you're without her, part of you is missing. It's the same way with her. Why live your lives like this when you could just as easily live them together. Just think about what I said. Love you, dude."

Seth sighed. He heard a knock on the door. He turned around and looked at the door, dreading what made him come back here in the first place. He opened the door and saw short, slender brunette looking exhausted with a baby on her hip.

"Hey, Seth," she whispered.

"Hey, Court," he whispered back, watching the little girl stir.

"Daddy," she whispered, holding her arms out to her.

"Hi, baby," he said, taking her from Courtney.

"I'm really sorry about this, Seth, I know you weren't supposed to come home from California for a couple more days, but this was such an emergency."

He nodded.

"Okay," she said, kissing the little girl on the cheek, "I'll be back in a couple days. I'll call you."

"All right," he said, closing the door.

He carried the little girl to his bedroom, placing her in the bed.

"Daddy?"

He heard her sweet little voice, and turned around. "Yeah, baby?"

"Did you get to see that pretty lady in all those pictures I saw?"

"Yeah, I did."

"Good. Night, Daddy. I love you."

"Night, baby," he said, flicking off the light.

* * *

**Dun dun dun. Sorry for the long wait. I'll try to come out with these quicker. Review, please. **

**.Emily. **


	6. The Night Will Go As Follows

**A/N: I'm not so sure I like the idea of Seth with a baby, but it seemed appropriate, so I'm gonna try and work it into this story. Let me know what you think.**

**Sunsets & Car Crashes**

**Chapter 6**

'The Night Will Go As Follows'

_**In a confident fashion  
I will admit my deepest and darkest to her  
And every gaze across the table  
Will send my unsuspecting body into shock **_

Seth remembered the day he met Courtney. It was shortly after he had transferred to NYU. They had met in one of his film classes, and she was drawn to him because of his witty charm. He was drawn to her because she had a strange resemblance to Summer. Courtney soon introduced Seth to all of her friends, and Seth was instantly accepted into their little group of friends.

Courtney knew about Summer, and that's why she had never attempted to be anything more to Seth than just his friend. However, in a drunken stupor, Seth had made his way to Courtney's dorm one night, and the rest, as they say, is history.

When Seth found out Courtney was pregnant, he was infuriated. He could barely even remember sleeping with her, and conceiving his first child the way he had wasn't exactly the way he had hoped it to be. Plus the fact that the mother of his first baby wasn't Summer.

But when he first laid eyes on Ava, his baby girl that was now almost 4 years old, he knew that he couldn't be one of those guys that walked away. Ava was going to be beautiful. She had chocolate brown eyes,and dark brown curly hair. She resembled Courtney, but with Seth's hair and eyes.

* * *

The morning after he got home from California, he called the local flower shop from down the street. 

"Hi, can you deliver 12 dozen white roses to Summer Roberts? Yeah, that's her address. Okay, thanks."

He hung up the phone and sighed. Ava crawled onto his lap. "Daddy, I want to meet Summer."

"Oh, Ava, I'm not sure that's such a good idea."

"But you love her, Daddy."

"I know I do. Very much."

"You don't love Mommy?"

"I do love Mommy. Just not this kind of love. Do you understand?"

The little girl nodded her head.

Seth turned on the TV for her and tried to focus on his task at hand. He did have a deadline for his job, just like he had told Summer.

* * *

4 hours and one successful storyline later, his phone rang. "Seth Cohen," he answered, hoping it wasn't anyone calling to lecture. 

"Seth, it's Courtney."

"Hey, Court, what's up?"

"How's Ava?"

"She's doing good, sitting on the couch right now watching TV."

"Okay, good. Listen, the reason I'm calling is because I'm gonna be gone a little longer than I thought."

Seth sighed. He had deadlines, things he needed to take care of. He couldn't keep Ava for long periods of time. Realizing these thoughts were occurring, he bit his lip. Ava was his daughter.

"For how long?"

"About a week or so."

Seth closes his eyes in frustration. "All right, Courtney."

"I'm so sorry, but Mr. Schmidt's business trip got extended and I have to watch Melissa for the whole week. I'll let you know of any more changes, okay?"

"Sounds like a plan. Hey, would you mind if I took Ava to California if needed?"

"Yeah, that sounds like fun for her. Gotta go. Bye, Cohen."

He cringed. "Bye."

He hated when Courtney called her Cohen. That was a name strictly reserved to Summer's mouth. He scoffed when he realized that Mr. Schmidt, Courtney's employer, was the one she had been sleeping with for over a year. Mrs. Schmidt had gotten a job the previous year and decided to hire a nanny. She hired Courtney on the spot, realizing that she had Ava, who was about Melissa's age. After about a month, Courtney had called Seth, telling him that she would be going on a business trip with Mr. Schmidt and that he needed to watch Ava. He immediately figured, knowing Courtney, that she and Mr. Schmidt were having an affair.

He walked over to the couch. "Hey, Ava."

She looked up from the TV.

"Do you feel like going to California?"

She beamed. "Like, on a real aeroplane, Daddy?"

He laughed. "Yes, on a real airplane. You'll get to meet Summer. And Grandma and Grandpa. And Ryan, my brother. Sound like fun?"

"Yes!" She exclaimed, jumping up from the couch into Seth's arms. He hugged her tightly.

"Go pack your things, okay? Then, we're gonna run by my office, and drop this story off."

Ava skipped to her room, singing all the way. Seth jogged after her, going into his room, also needing to pack his things.

He carried Ava on his hip stepping off the elevator. Most at the office didn't know he had a daughter, except those he worked close with, and since he was well known, it wasn't surprising his got weird looks while carrying her.

He got to his editor's office, walking in without knocking. Bill Weiss was his name, one of Seth's favorite people.

"Seth Cohen, where the hell have you been?"

Seth pointed to Ava. Bill mouthed a sorry, and continued. "So, where have you been?"

"California, and I'm going back. I just needed to drop this off to you. The big guy upstairs is requiring all of us to write ascript for a new TV show. Apparently The WB is funding us for a new show?"

Bill nodded. "Yes, yes, I am quite aware. The deadline is midnight. I suppose you want me to edit these 30 odd pages and give him the script before that time, yes?"

Seth smiled and nodded. "Yeah, that'd be awesome. I'd do it, but I have to get going. There's some stuff we gotta take care of."

"I understand."

"When is Tim announcing who got the gig?"

"Oh, it won't be for at least a couple weeks. He's got to pick out the top 3 that he likes best, then present them to the board at The WB. We're competing with 4 other companies throughout the U.S. Our company here, one in Chicago, Seattle, L.A., and Boston."

"Wow."

"Yeah, Seth, whoever gets this job is in for it big time."

Seth smiled. "I'll see you, Bill."

"Later, dude."

* * *

After a very exciting plane ride for Ava, they arrived in California the next morning. Seth sighed and looked at his watch. He realized he only had a few hours to change and get Ava ready for Neil's funeral. He looked down nervously at his daughter. Today was going to be interesting.

Seth situated his tie where he thought necessary, and he watched Ava come out of the bathroom in a plum dress with a satin sash that that tied a big bow in the back. "Daddy, will you tie my bow?" She asked sweetly, so he knelt down and tied her bow. She turned around and gave him a kiss on the nose. He put a finger to her nose and smiled. "I love you very much."

She smiled. "Love you, Daddy."

They got in the car Seth had rented and proceeded to drive to the funeral. He knew that introducing his daughter to the family at a funeral wasn't exactly the best way to do things, but he also knew there was no time like the present. The clock told him they were 15 minutes late, and he was glad, he thought, as they stepped out of the car. They slipped into the service quietly and sat in the back. He watched his mom and dad walk up to the podium together and give a small speech, then came Summer's turn. She had a hard time not crying, and he had to bite his lip to be careful not to walk up there and put his arms around her.

When everyone had left the chapel, Seth and Ava had stayed in there. He didn't quite understand how everyone had gotten by without him being seen, but he was glad it had happened. He watched Summer sit in a chair in front of Neil's coffin, weeping silently, saying the words she never got to. Ava looked at her dad, worried about this woman she didn't know, and worried about her own daddy, who had tears falling freely from his eyes.

Seth knew he had caused Summer pain. He also knew that his absence for the funeral, even if technically, he was there, meant a lot to Summer. It symbolized he didn't care, when it was really quite the opposite. He loved Summer with his whole heart, and she loved him with hers, but they were both too scared to let go and be together, because of their pasts. The man that laid in peace before Summer was the last thing solid in her life besides Seth, but Seth knew he had proved nothing to Summer to be considered someone that she could lean on.

He whispered to Ava for her to remain where she was, and then silently got up. He walked towards Summer, and put a hand on the back of her chair. She turned slowly, looking up into his chocolate brown eyes. Seth expected her to be angry. He expected her to slap him with every ounce of strength she could muster. Instead, she stood up, and surprisingly, she wrapped her arms around him, and clung onto him, sobbing uncontrollably. He wrapped his arms around her tiny frame, supporting her, shushing her, telling her everything was going to be okay. They stood like that for a long time until she decided she could stand on her own.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, looking up at him with puffy eyes.

"I knew where I had to be," he said, giving her a slight smile.

More tears came down. "Hey," he whispered, "don't cry because of me."

"Cohen," she whispered, "I've been crying over you for the past 4 years. What makes you think I'm gonna stop now?"

They stood in silence for a moment, not looking at one another, and it was Summer who spoke first.

"Seth, who is that little girl?"

Seth smiled. "Uh, Summer. There's someone I want you to meet."

Summer's eyes widened. Seth called Ava over. "It's okay, baby, come here."

Ava shuffled towards her dad, hiding behind his legs when she reached them. Seth smiled down at her, lifted her up and put her on his hip.

"Tell Summer who you are."

The little girl smiled and held out her hand. "Hi, Summer, I'm Ava."

Summer smiled through her shocked tears. "Hi, Ava. How very nice to meet you," she replied, taking her hand. She wriggled out of Seth's arms and walked towards the cross that was placed about 20 feet behind the coffin.

Summer shook her head. "She's yours?"

"Yeah. You couldn't tell?" He said, giving her a slight smile.

"Seth," she began, "I don't know what to say."

"I do. Ava's my daughter. She's the reason I had to fly back the other day. Courtney, her mom, had to go on a business trip."

"And you and Courtney..?"

"Are just friends."

"I see."

They stood in silence until Seth spoke. "I think that I should go introduce her to my mom and dad."

Summer shook her head. "It's incredible to me how you so selfishly kept this a secret from all of us all these years."

"Summer, I don't need that. I didn't keep it a secret from you. I left, remember? We didn't talk. 4 days ago was the first time I had spoken to you in over 3 years. Did you really think I was going to call you up to tell you I had a little girl?"

"Well, of course not. But your parents? Ryan?"

He shrugged. "There was never a good time."

More tears came. "My life made so much sense before you came back here, Seth."

"Let me make it a little easier for you, then," he said, walking over to Ava, grabbing her hand, and walking out.

* * *

He skipped the post funeral reception. He drove straight to his parent's house. He loved that house when it was quiet. He had just set up his laptop outside by the pool to do some work while watching Ava swim, when he heard the front door slam.

"Hello?" He heard Kirsten call.

He stood up to greet her. "Hey, Mom," he said, stepping through the French doors, seeing Ryan, Marissa, Kate, and Sandy all behind her. A dripping wet Ava then appeared behind Seth, and all 6 pairs of eyes traveled down to the little girl.

"Daddy? Who are all these people?"

Seth closed his eyes as he heard Ryan whisper "Daddy?"

"Av, go out to the pool house and dry off, okay? I'll be in there in a minute."

Kirstin hugged Seth, smiling slightly. "I thought I saw you leaving the funeral home. I just didn't know you had someone else with you."

"Yeah. She doesn't exactly reach past the airbag," he said, smiling.

"Anyone want to tell us what the hell is going on?" Ryan asked.

Seth sighed. "Well, that little girl, is my daughter. She's almost 4, and the reason I had to disappear for a little while."

Seth spent the next hour with his family, introducing Ava to her grandparents, them asking her a whole bunch of questions.

"Hey, Seth, we're going to go to the café and get something to eat. Wanna come?"

Seth pointed to Ava. "I should probably get her to bed, go back to our hotel and such."

Kirsten scoffed. "Nonsense. You both will stay here. And I'll put her to bed. You go. You probably haven't eaten in a while."

"You sure?"

"Positive," Sandy replied, putting an arm around his son.

Seth smiled, put on his coat, and walked out with the other three.

* * *

"So," Seth said, "interesting day, huh?"

Marissa sighed and began examining her hands. Ryan looked at her curiously, Kate looked at Ryan.

"What?" Seth asked.

Marissa looked up, aware everyone was staring at her. "Oh, nothing. I just wish Summer was here."

"Oh," Seth said, looking down at his menu uncomfortably, "yeah, I suppose you know her and I had a conversation earlier."

Marissa nodded. "Yeah, she called me to talk. She's going back to New York in a few days."

"Aren't you going with her?"

"I'll probably go back a few days after her. I wanted to spend a day with my mom."

Seth nodded. "I feel bad, but it's not like my daughter is any of her business."

"Seth, you know that isn't true."

"I don't mean to be a total ass here, but Ava wouldn't have even been conceived if it weren't for Summer. So, I guess I have her to thank for that."

Marissa's eyes widened. "I think I should go before I say something that will put both of us in a compromising position."

Kate rolled her eyes. "Ryan, I'm leaving. I'll see you tonight."

Ryan opened his mouth to argue, but Kate had already gotten up and walked away. "Well, I'll drive you home, then."

Seth nodded at him. "I'll walk."

Ryan led Marissa out of the café. "Ignore him, Marissa. He's bitter because he's in love with her."

"Ryan, you just don't understand. Summer and him could be together. Summer would be more than willing. They are both just too damn stubborn, and that's what makes me the most angry."

"Yeah."

"After losing you, I realized that you shouldn't waste one minute. The time they're spending in ridiculous predicaments is just pointless."

He laughed heartily. "When did you become so grown up?"

She smiled, and shrugged slightly. "When I learned that immaturity got me nowhere."

His eyes softened and he leaned in to kiss her. She accepted the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck, inviting his tongue into her mouth. He pulled away shortly after.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that."

She wiped her lips with her index finger. "It's okay."

The rest of the way to Summer's house, they sat in silence. When he pulled up, she hopped out but hesitated before she closed the door.

"Ryan, do you wanna come in?"

He only nodded as he turned off the engine and walked beside her into Summer's house.

* * *

Well, there's chapter 6. Review, please.


	7. All Hail the Heartbreaker

_**Sunsets & Car Crashes**_

**Chapter 7**

'All Hail the Heartbreaker'

**A/N: This chapter set about 6 months in the future. Summer and Seth haven't seen each other since the day of her dad's funeral. **

_So tonight I'll sit and pick apart your pictures  
And overanalyze your words  
But the truth is that I've never fallen so hard  
It's taking everything in me  
Just to forget your sweater so far _

Seth hadn't really bothered to count the months that had gone by since he last saw Summer. He was guessing around 6, but lately, he had been too wrapped up in work to keep track. He figured it was the easiest way to deal with not seeing her everyday. He had gone longer without her before.

Seth's script had gotten the TV show. And so for the past 3 months, he had been constantly writing. He hadn't been taking his usual trips back to California because of the show that he was the creator and co-producer of. Seth Cohen had made it pretty big in New York. So big, in fact, that he was seen partying with some of the big celebrities at the hottest clubs in the city. Most were trying to get in good with him so he would cast them for the show, but he didn't want big name celebrities, he wanted small people who wanted to make it big.

The show is based in New York City (big surprise there), and about 4 teenagers; Robin Miller, Matt Ramsey, Sam Smith, and Sara Stevens dealing with growing up.

* * *

Seth grabbed another beer and handed it to the model who was his date for the night. She looked at him with distaste. "I don't drink beer," she said. He rolled his eyes, but smiled at her.

"Cosmo?"

"How'd you know?"

"You models are all the same."

She laughed, crossing one leg over the other. "You know, normally I would take that as an insult."

He handed her the drink she wanted, concentrating carefully on not spilling it all over her and raised an eyebrow. "I didn't mean it that way," he said, leaning into her and brushing his lips on her cheek.

"So, tell me, Seth, about your TV show."

"Well," he began, "We're working on casting right now. We've already casted the part of Robin Miller and Matt Ramsey, but we still need Sam and Sara. I actually have a few interviews set up for tomorrow."

"Sounds fascinating," she droned.

He laughed. "Hey, you asked."

She nodded. "I suppose I did."

"The funny thing is, I need a specific part for Sara. I've interviewed hundreds, but none compare to the real thing."

"The real thing?"

"Yeah, never mind. You wouldn't get it."

"Oh."

"I'm looking forward to tomorrow, my friend Jeff says that he has a perfect girl lined up for the job. She's in the fashion industry, but has been wanting to give acting a shot. She supposedly did a little bit in college, but I don't know."

"Seth, I'm sorry that I don't care, but I came here to have a good time."

He put down his beer, finally feeling defeated. He was drunk. "Well, do you wanna go back to my apartment?"

The girl shrugged. "Depends on if we have sex or not."

He grinned. "Usually that's a subtle way of suggesting the idea of a sexual encounter."

She stood up, smiling, and led him out of the club.

* * *

Summer had been alone a lot lately. She had been going to work, coming home, and then falling asleep. The only friends she had were the ones that Marissa and her went out with together, and since Marissa spent the majority of her time in California having a secret relationship with Ryan, Summer was often alone.

The only thing that she had been looking forward to was her audition for some new TV show that was coming out the following summer. Her friend Jeff had given her a script for it, knowing that she did some acting in college and absolutely fell in love with it. Summer was pretty nervous for the audition, but Jeff had told her that the creator was a pretty laid-back guy.

Summer heard the doorbell ring, indicating that her Chinese food had been delivered. She paid the guy, ate her food, and went to sleep, butterflies in her stomach for the next morning.

* * *

Seth rolled over, looking at his clock that was strangely facing the wall. He furrowed his brow at it, also removing the black lacy bra that was on top of it, and looked at the time.

"Fuck," he groaned, getting out of his bed, scrambling to find some clean clothes. He glanced at the figure in his bed, the events of the night before coming back to him. What was her name again? Allie, that was it.

"Allie?" He whispered, shaking her slightly.

She rolled over in response. "Morning," she whispered.

He closed his eyes in disgust, disregarding her morning breath. Summer never had morning breath, a trait he had obviously never thought he'd have to deal with. He reminded himself to brush his teeth after he got her the hell out of his bed, and apartment.

"I'm really sorry to just kick you out like this, but I have a meeting. Actually, an audition, that was supposed to start 5 minutes ago. By the time I get there, it could be over."

"Oh," she said, stepping out of the bed completely naked, apparently having no shame. Well, she was a model.

Within the next five minutes, Seth had managed to put on presentable clothes, brush his teeth, get Allie out of his place, and hail a cab to his building.

* * *

Summer sat in the waiting room, trying to listen to the girl who had gone ahead of her. The girl, who had said her name was Meagan, was tall and beautiful, with a slender figure and a cute nose, making Summer feel intimidated. There had been two other girls in the room, but when one of the casting directors came in to instruct them, they both chickened out and left. The man had told them they would be trying out with the actress that would be playing Robin Miller, Sara's best friend. He had given each girl a script, and Summer had had this time to study it. She had memorized the lines in 15 minutes, going over each of them perfectly in her head, and how she would say them.

Summer heard a door open, seeing the same guy who had instructed them peek his head in. "We're ready for you," he said, giving her a smile. She returned the smile graciously, walking through the door he held open for her.

She walked into another room that was fairly empty except for a few tables and chairs, and a large space in the middle where she guessed she was supposed to be. She walked into the large space, facing three people who were sitting behind a table. They didn't bother to introduce themselves.

"Your first and last name?"

"Summer Roberts," she replied sweetly.

"Our producer isn't here at the moment, but we'll go ahead and proceed on without him. Are you ready?"

She nodded her head, looking to her right as a tall, model-like girl came walking out of the door that she hadn't noticed. "Hi, I'm Mischa, I'm playing Robin."

Summer smiled. "Summer," she said, shaking the girls hand. This girl strangely reminded her of Marissa.

The girls both got the go-ahead from the supervisors, and started.

"You want me to fix you up with MATT? I mean, I thought you said he was a 'total psycho.'"

Summer pretended to hold a dress up to herself. "Well, that was before I got to know him."

"Wait. When did you get to know him?"

"Just now. Plus, I'm into that whole brooding bad boy thing. He's wounded - I can save him."

"I mean have you really talked to him, though? 'Cause he's really not a bad boy."

"Well, he will be by the time I get through with him." Summer smiled suggestively, then heard Mischa laugh.

"What? You're not like… into him, are you? I mean, you're with Luke, right?"

"Right."

"Good."

The three supervisors had big smiles on their faces when the girls got finished. Mischa murmered to Summer, "You've gotten the biggest smiles yet."

Summer smiled. "Thanks."

"Maybe I'll see you later," Mischa said, putting down her script, winking at Summer, then walking away.

Summer walked up to the table. "How'd I do?"

"Fabulous. You're the perfect fit to this girl."

Another guy who had been sitting at the table. "Seth Cohen just called me and told me he was on his way, I told him about you, he wants to see you."

Summer's smile faltered a little. "Did you say Seth Cohen?"

"Yep, sure did. Is that a problem? Do you know him?"

"Who knows me?" Seth said, entering the room, smiling. He looked across the table, seeing Summer, and the smiled faded. He started to say her name, but she shook her head. She didn't want him to ruin this for her.

"No one," the guy said, "but this girl is amazing. Read a script with her."

Seth sighed, still in utter shock that the girl his friend Jeff had been talking about was indeed, Summer Roberts. He picked up a script. "223," he whispered to her. She flipped to the right page nervously.

"I'm gonna play Sam," he said.

She nodded.

"Sam."

"I'm sorry I'm late. I was… caught in traffic. I'm on stage."

He paused, and took a breath. "Okay, I know I'm not, who you all imagined… as prom king seeing as how I'm not who any of you actually voted for but she's the queen and I love her…so I guess that makes me king."

"Sam."

"No, I'm just the guy standing next to you, you're the queen, all right, I'm the jester, perhaps, if that works, so let me ask you this, your highness…What can I do to make it up to you?"

"Well, you can start by dancing with me."

Seth dropped the script on the table, and gave her a quick grin. She tried to smile back, but couldn't, realizing that this show had been created by Seth Cohen, and was about the lives of her and her best friends growing up. She took a deep breath, trying to concentrate on what she was doing.

"We'll call you within the next 24 hours," they said, smiling warmly.

"Any comments, Seth?"

"Uh, yeah, could I speak to Ms….,"

"Roberts."

"Yes, Ms. Roberts, alone, for a minute?"

"Certainly," they replied, filing out of the room.

Once Seth made sure they were alone, he sat down, putting his face in his hands.

Summer said nothing.

"This is going to be really hard, Summer."

"Why's that?"

"Because for one, you're the best person that's come to try out for this role. Two, if I cast you, we're going to run into some personal issues. Those being that you have to pretend you don't know me."

"Okay, Seth, I'm pretty sure that I'm the best girl for the job because I _lived_ through it. You made a show about us. I've already spoken these words, done these things, and you expect me not to be able to do it well a second time around? As for pretending I never knew you, I think I'm up for the challenge."

Seth opened his mouth to make a rude remark, but closed it, and said, "Fine, the job's yours, then."

"Really?"

"Yeah, really."

She smiled at him. "Thanks, Seth."

"Yeah, we start shooting in two weeks," he said, walking over to another table, "here's a script for the first episode."

Summer nodded. "I'll see you in two weeks, then."

"Looking forward to it," he said, walking into another room and giving her a short wave as he did so.

* * *

2 weeks went by rather fast for Summer, who was anxious for shooting to start. She was amazed she had gotten this job. This so wasn't her. This was more like Marissa, who had been absolutely ecstatic when Summer had told her about the job, but also kind of angry that there was some girl who was portraying her and did a pretty good job at it.

She showed up at the set, clad in camo capris and a brown tank top with her hair up in a ponytail. Someone spotted her. "Summer Roberts?"

"Yeah, that's me."

"Come with me. We'll get your hair and make up done."

* * *

An hour later, Summer came out clad in the same outfit she had been wearing when she entered, but with her hair down in waves and her make-up done.

Seth looked at her weird. Kathy, the make-up artist shrugged. "We decided this style was so Sara, so we stuck with it."

Seth nodded, and looked into the set where his other actors were. "All right, we're starting with scene 34. If you're not in it, get off the set. If you are, go over it one more time. We start rolling in 2 minutes."

Summer walked over to her fellow cast mates, saying hello, and smiling at them. "You must be Summer," the tall girl said, "nice to meet you again. I'm Mischa, playing Robin."

"Yeah, I'm Ben, playing Matt."

"I'm Adam, playing Sam."

"I'm Summer, playing Sara."

They all got acquainted over the next two minutes.

"All right, scene 34, take 1. We're on in 5...4...3...2...1...and ACTION!" Seth yelled.

_Over at the keg the guy who shouted about getting naked is now passed out._

_**Sam**: I fixed the keg. (offers the guy a drink which, of course, he doesn't take) All right, more for me then._

_Nearby a pack of nearly identical looking blonds all talk on their cell phones. Matt stands nearby. Sara comes through the door, obviously drunk._

_**Sara**: Look (pause) who I found. (goes over to Matt and spills her drink on him) Ooops! I'm wasted._

_Matt brushes off the suit and she "helps" basically rubbing her hands on his chest. She wraps her arms around his neck._

_**Sara**: So what's your name anyway?_

_**Matt**: Matt._

_Matt tries to push her off of him. Sam comes outside._

_**Sam**: You got to come..._

_Sam stops talking when he sees them._

_**Sam**: (upset) What are you doing?_

_**Matt**: Hey, um... (moves away from Sara)_

_**Sara**: (sounding offended/insulted) Excuse me!_

_**Sam**: (upset) What are you doing? I named my boat after her._

_**Sara**: (laughs) What? Eww, who ARE you?_

_**Matt**: (quietly) It's not what you think. She's just a little but drunk._

_Sara comes up behind Matt and wraps her arms around his neck._

_**Sara**: Come on, Matt._

_Matt pulls her off. Sam walks off back into the house. Matt chases after him._

_**Matt**: Sam, Sam, Sam._

_Sam grabs Matt and shoves him against something._

_**Sam**: (very upset) You know what? Why don't you just go back to Chino? I'm sure there's a really nice car in the parking lot you could steal._

_Robin and everyone else sees/hears this. Sam takes off down the beach._

_**Sara**: (laughs) Chino? Eww..._

_Matt walks away but nearly bumps into Robin who just looks away. Matt walks a little further into the house and notices people looking at him and talking about him._

"Cut!" Seth yelled.

They all breathed a sigh of relief. They had made it through their very first scene ever together without messing up.

"All right, I want scenes 35 through 42 done today," Seth told them. Summer looked over to see two people, who, when she saw them, she knew who they were playing.

"Hey, guys," the blonde woman said to the 4 younger actors, "I'm Kelly, playing the part of Kayla Smith."

They all nodded and waved. Adam said a quick, "Hi, Mom," and they all laughed.

The older man chuckled. "I'm Peter playing Sam Sr. I guess you could call me Samuel."

"Hi, Dad," Adam said again, and Ben looked at him. "All right, not funny anymore."

Adam looked down in defeat. Summer wondered who would be playing Jimmy Cooper and Julie Cooper. What about Luke?

As if on cue, a woman who looked to be in her mid to late thirties walked onto the set.

"That's Melinda," Mischa whispered in her ear, "she's Jackie Miller on the show. My mom."

Summer nodded.

"And that's my dad, Jake Miller, whose real name is Tate."

Summer nodded again. There was so many people she had to keep track of.

A very cute boy came out of nowhere to Summer's left. Mischa rolled her eyes when he tripped over a piece of carpet. "That's Chris. He plays Landon on the show. My boyfriend, soon to be ex."

Summer giggled. "He's cute."

"May be cute, but he is such a spaz."

"All right, now that we've got everyone here, let's get this show on the road!" Seth said. Summer walked into her dressing room for a break since it wasn't her scene.

* * *

Over the course of three very long and tiring days, they had managed to get the pilot finished. The show didn't air until August and it was currently April. But they had to get done with 8 episodes in between that time frame. Which would be no sweat, considering that gave them 4 months.

Summer had a week off to memorize the second episode. Although that wasn't that hard considering she didn't have a very big part in this one. Seth had warned her that when the show got going and their reviews started coming in, they wouldn't have week-long breaks. She nodded her head in understanding, realizing that she still had another job she had to take care of.

She was in her apartment reading a magazine when she heard a knock on her door. She hadn't been expecting anyone, and her hair was up in a messy bun with her reading glasses on and on top of all of that, sweats and a tank top. She was horrified when she saw Seth at the door, Chinese food in his hand and The Notebook in the other.

She looked at him, quizzically.

"I felt like having a girl's night."

"I thought we weren't supposed to know each other, Seth Cohen."

"Yeah, well, I figured in the privacy of our own homes, it'd be all right. This can be our little secret. No one needs to know I'm watching The Notebook anyway. I'm not gay, just sensitive."

She smiled. "Seth, we can't just be friends and never talk about what happened."

"I know, but I figured we could at least try. Now, are you going to help me eat this or not?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Good, because it's a lot of orange chicken and I don't think I could eat it by myself."

She grinned, and stared at him for a few seconds. When he caught her stare she said, quietly, "For the record, I really want to be your friend."

He crept closer to her face. "For the record, did I tell you how cute you look right now?"

She socked him in the arm. He rubbed his bicep tenderly. "I was being serious, douche."

"Oh. Well, thank you," she said, as she crinkled her nose at him. He just rolled his eyes and hit play.

* * *

**A/N: **All right. So I am using a direct script from the actual O.C. So, I'm giving Josh Schwartz credit, I guess? For writing such an amazing show. As you can tell, the actors that are played in this story all have different names, but their REAL names in the story are the same as the REAL actors in REAL life. Tell me if you're confused and I will try to explain it better. In the meantime, review! 


	8. So Much

**Sunsets & Car Crashes**

**Chapter 8**

'So Much'

_How does it feel  
How does it feel when we get locked into a stare?  
Please don't come looking for me  
When I get lost in the mess of your hair  
How do you feel when everything you've known  
Gets thrown aside  
Never fear, my dear, 'cause we have nothing left to hide _

Marissa sat in an armchair reading through People magazine, waiting for Ryan to return from a meeting. She had never come to his office before unexpectedly, and she knew it was risky. She was catching up on the latest gossip of her best friend's TV show, since Summer really had no time to talk to her anymore. It was August, and they had just launched their pilot the previous Wednesday. Marissa watched it, and was amazed at how well Seth retold the story. Ratings were already shooting through the roof, and Summer was constantly working.

Ryan walked through the door, loosening his tie. He didn't notice Marissa sitting in the chair.

"Stressful day, Baby?"

He looked up in surprise and smiled when he saw Marissa. "Yeah, actually. What are you doing here?"

"Bringing you lunch. And maybe dessert, if you're lucky," she said, kissing him on the lips.

"You know how much I'd love that, but we can't do this here."

She looked down. "Yeah, I know. It'd just be nice if we didn't have to sneak around so much anymore."

"Well, I am married, Marissa."

"Do you have to be, Ryan? You love me."

He sighed. He didn't have time to do this. He kissed her on the forehead. "I'll try to get to get out of here early and I'll meet you and your hotel for lunch, all right?"

She nodded. It would just have to do for the time being.

* * *

Summer got to the set at 6 that morning. Her hair and make-up already done, she walked up to Seth to ask the agenda.

"What are we shooting today, Cohen?"

Seth looked at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Did you not look at the planner today, Roberts?"

She was taken aback by his cold voice. "Uhh. I guess I can go do that."

He nodded, and watched her walk away. He knew that he would be paying for that later. He clapped his hands together and walked towards the group of four that was standing in the middle.

"I know you guys weren't expecting this, but we're filming episode 20 today. First scene is Sam and Sara at the kissing booth. We need Eric out here, playing the part of Brad. Anyone else not in the scene, get the hell off the set," he said, with a smile.

Summer sat down at the kissing booth, waiting for the cue. "Action!" Seth yelled.

_Sam: (to guy) Ah here you go, here's a full refund (hands him money) thanks a lot thanks for comin', show's over you guys thanks so much though it was great havin' you _

(Sara is shocked)

Brad: this kid bothering you, Sara?

Sara: No, its ok, thanks

Sam: Yeah, thanks

Sara: Sam, you're making a scene

Sam: I need to talk to you right now

Sara: (trying to get rid of him) I'll IM you later

Sam: Okay

(Sam tries to get on top of the booth, he struggles to get his leg up. Sam uses a near by chair and walks up on top of the booth)

Sam: let's talk up here (motions for her to come up)

Sara: (puts her hands on her head) Oh my God, no

Sam: Sara, I know you're scared

Sara: (looks up) Yeah, of you

Sam: You kiss all these other guys but you wont kiss me...Acknowledge me now or lose me forever

Brad: wait your dating this emo geek

Sam: yes Brad she's dating this emo geek (to everyone) yeah that's right um I'm a big dork and I listen to emo and I'm dating her (points)

Sara: (embarrassed) Why are you doing this?

Sam: 'Cause Sara I like you, this much and if you don't feel the same way about me then...someone's gonna have to give me a hand down because its really high up here an I could fall an that would be embarrassing, more embarrassing

(Sara looks up at him, he puts his hand out to her she hesitates then smiles and gets up with him. the guys standing around all frown, the girls are all looking at them lovey dovey and 'awww' like)

Sara: (holding his hand) I can't believe this

Sam: (smiles) It's all over but the big public make out session

(Sara kisses him, then she looks kind of sad. the guys all walk away but the girls are watching still with lovey dovey looks)

Sara: That'll be ten bucks, Sam

Sam: That's for a worthy cause (they kiss again)

"Cut."

Adam let go of her. Summer smiled. "Pretty good."

He shrugged. "What can I say?"

Seth rolled his eyes. "All right. Get down. We got more scenes to shoot."

It was Summer's turn to roll her eyes. She jumped down from the booth, walked over to a table and got a drink of water. Adam followed her, and took a sip of water. "Do you know Seth?" He asked.

She turned towards him. "What makes you say that?" she whispered, as Seth yelled action, and she watched a scene between Matt and Robin.

"I don't know. There seems to be a lot of tension between you guys."

"Oh. No, I don't know him. I mean, I knew of him before I started this job, but I don't know him personally."

Adam looked at her suspiciously, but nodded his head anyway.

* * *

Summer stood in the kitchen, making spaghetti while drinking a glass of wine. She heard a knock on the door and knew exactly who it was. She opened the door and saw Seth with a bouquet of flowers. "Hey," he said, in a raspy voice.

"Hi," she replied, crossing her arms across her chest.

"I'm sorry, Sum, I really am, but you know how crucial it is that we don't look like friends at work. If people know about us…,"

"I know, I know."

"Here," he said, handing her the flowers. She smiled.

"Are you gonna come in or what, Cohen?"

He shrugged, and walked through the door.

"I'm making spaghetti," she said, skipping to the kitchen. He walked at a quickened pace to keep up with her.

"Yum," he said, taking a dish towel and throwing it at her.

* * *

They sat quietly at Summer's small dining room table, eating their food. Seth stopped chewing and looked up at her suddenly. "I forgot to tell you to prepare for tomorrow. We're filming an episode I think you'll remember quite well."

She grinned. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I'm not saying anything. I'm just telling you to prepare."

She smiled at him, looked down, and continued to eat her food. She didn't really know what the issue with her and Seth was, but all she knew was that it was nice being around him again.

* * *

The next day, Summer arrived at work, kind of anxious for the day. Her stylist came running at her.

"You're 15 minutes late, Roberts!"

She smiled at the woman's outrage. "Sorry, I woke up a little later than usual."

"You're lucky we don't have to do much to you today."

Summer walked with the woman to her dressing room, a smile on her face. She sat down in the chair with her hair up in a messy bun. Kathy immediately took it down, and began straightening it. Summer hated having her hair straightened. She had stopped straightening after sophomore year. Well, she straightened it occasionally, but not every day like Kathy was beginning to do. But since this was based around her sophomore year, she knew that it was mandatory. Kathy put a tiny bit more make up on Summer, and then threw a green Calvin Klein tank top at her.

"Put that on. No bra."

"What?" Summer asked.

"No bra," Kathy said, an amused look on her face.

"I am not going to not wear a bra."

"Here, you're gonna put on these pasty things. You'll be taking off your shirt in this scene, so you can't wear a bra with straps or a strapless bra because it still has too much coverage."

"Oh my god," Summer said to herself, realizing that this was going to be the scene of her and Cohen first having sex. She turned around. "Kathy, will you send Seth Cohen in here, please?"

She nodded and went to get him.

When Seth walked in the door, whistling a tune, she hit him across the head. "How could you not tell me that this was the scene I would be doing so I could at least prepare?"

He had an amused smile on his face. "Because that would have taken all of the fun out of it."

"Get out," she said, trying not to smile, "so I can get dressed."

He winked at her, turned on his heel, and left. Kathy came back in when Summer was finished to make sure she looked right. She had on the green Calvin Klein tank and grey sweats to go with it. "Perfect," Kathy said, and Summer smiled, walking out to the set of her bedroom. She sat down on the 'bed' going over her lines. Adam walked over to her.

"Gonna be an awkward day, huh?"

"Pretty much," Summer said, giving him a polite smile.

She looked over to Seth walking to the camera. "Places, everyone."

Summer laid down on the bed, staring at the TV, and Adam walked off the set. Seth called action, and Summer waited until she heard the knock on the door before she began.

_Sara: (yells) I'm busy...studying...naked_

_Sam: was that supposed to keep me away?_

_Sara: (unsure) Sam? (gets off the bed) (opens the door) You're at my house_

_Sam: and you are dressed I wonder who's more disappointed (pokes his head in) um can I come in?_

_Sara: no_

_Sam: thanks (walks in) _

_Sara: uh (shrugs) what're you doing here_

_Sam: (picks up a 'my little pony' off her table) who is this? _

_Sara: no one_

_Sam: (girly voice, moves the pony) I'm not no one_

_Sara: (gives in) Princess Sparkle, what do you want?_

_Sam: I think she's just Captain Oat's type _

_Sara: well you tell (snatches the pony from him) him to keep his hooves off! (yells) and as for you!_

_Sam: Wait-wait. Before you kick me out can you just, please give me a second to explain (Sara folds her arms) Okay, listen, Sara...its not like...like now that me and Amy broke up I'm now choosing you, okay. (Sara rolls her eyes) because the whole reason that we broke up...is because for me...(sincerely) its always been you Sara (Sara's expression softens) its always been you...and I've tried to fight it, and I've tried to deny it and I can't, I can't do it...you're undeniable._

"CUT!" Seth yelled, from his chair, just as Summer was about to kiss Adam.

Summer looked over at him, walking towards them.

"Adam, dude, have you ever professed your love to a girl?"

Adam got red. "Uh, not entirely, no."

"Okay, well you have to do it with some feeling. Like you mean it. Like she's the only thing that matters."

"Well, it's kind of hard. I mean, Summer's gorgeous and all, but she isn't the love of my life."

"That's why you're an actor. If you can't do this, then what are you doing here?"

Adam shrugged.

"Okay, Adam, watch this," Seth said, as he moved to step in front of Summer.

"Cohen, what are you doing?" Summer whispered, looking around with frantic eyes.

"Run the scene with me."

"No, are you serious?"

"Do I look like I'm kidding?"

Summer rolled her eyes.

Someone yelled action, even though they weren't really rolling.

"Wait. _Wait._ Before you kick me out, please just give me a second to explain."

Summer folded her arms across her chest.

"Okay, listen, Summer…It's not like…Like, now that me and Anna broke up I'm now choosing you, okay."

Summer rolled her eyes.

"Because the whole reason that we broke up…Is because, for me…It's always been you, Summer."

Summer's facial expression softened.

"It's always been you…And I've tried to fight it, and I've tried to deny it, and I can't, I can't do it, you're undeniable."

Summer knew that the camera wasn't rolling, she knew that she wasn't supposed to, but oh, God, it felt so real again. She grabbed Seth's face and kissed him with everything she had in her. He responded by cupping her face, and they fell back on the bed. Then, realizing where he was, and what he was supposed to be doing, he gently pried himself away from Summer, and look over to the rest of the cast and crew.

"So, something like that would be amazing."

Summer smiled politely.

"Yeah, that was great," Adam said, "but who's Anna?"

Seth froze, realizing he had said 'Anna' instead of 'Amy'. "I meant Amy," he said quickly.

Adam nodded, and waited for Seth to move out of the way before they continued the rest of the scene.

* * *

Summer sat on her couch reading People, waiting for the phone to ring. When she decided that Seth wasn't going to call her, she decided to call him. She picked up the phone and called his cell phone.

"Hello!" He screamed into the phone. Summer opened her mouth in shock and held the phone away from her ear.

"Cohen? Where are you?"

"Summer? I'm at CBGB. There's a live band playing tonight that I really wanted to see."

"Oh. I see. Well, have fun, Cohen."

"No, you should come. I can get you in for free."

"I'm not dressed or anything."

"So what? Come on."

Summer sighed. "All right, I'll be there in 15 minutes."

"Great."

She hung up the phone and ran to get dressed. She decided on a black CBGB tank top that she had gotten there once before, and her ripped jeans. She put on black converse, let her hair fall down in waves, and walked out the door. She hailed down a cab, and was on her way. When she arrived at the club and told the bouncer who she was, he let her in with no questions asked. She immediately found Seth surrounded by a lot of girls, and sat down on the same couch he was on. It took him 10 minutes to notice she was there.

"Summer. Hey," he said, coming to sit down beside her.

"Ladies all around tonight tonight, huh?"

Seth nodded, taking a sip of beer. "They just want inside my pants," he said winking at her.

She rolled her eyes and took his beer from him, taking a drink. She looked over to the band that was playing, some band she had never heard of and had never wanted to hear of. She looked back over to Seth and saw him talking to another girl. She was getting annoyed. Or maybe jealous? She wasn't sure. All she knew was that she didn't want to be there anymore.

"Seth. I'm gonna go."

She waited for him to respond, but when she didn't, she just turned around and walked out.

When Seth turned around and noticed that she was gone, he knew that she was pissed. He sighed.

* * *

Summer threw her keys down on the table next to her front door. She wriggled out of her jeans and put sweats on. She retrieved the carton of cookie dough ice cream from her freezer, and called Marissa.

"Heya, Coop," she greeted her best friend when she answered.

"Hey, Sum."

Summer rolled her eyes, knowing that they would end up talking about Marissa the whole time. There was obviously something wrong with her and Ryan. "What's up?" She asked.

"Nothing. Just sitting here at Ryan's, waiting for him to get home."

"You're at Ryan's? Doesn't, I don't know, his wife, live there?"

"She's on vacation in Hawaii. She told Ryan she needed to get away. She's coming back in two days. She picked the perfect time to go away. It's Ryan's busiest work schedule week of the year. We've hardly had any alone time."

Summer sighed. "Maybe you need to tell Ryan to end things with Kate. She has to be stupid not to know that you guys are having an affair."

"I think she knows. But 'supposedly', she's pregnant, which I highly doubt, considering she's on the pill, and her and Ryan hardly ever sleep together."

"Does Ryan know she's on the pill?"

"I doubt it, which is why I'm waiting for him to get home. If he doesn't end things with her soon, then I'm ending things with him. I can't keep doing this all of my life."

"Yeah, but you know Ryan's the only guy for you."

"I know. So, how are you and Seth?"

Summer grumbled. "Non-existant. I did kiss him today though."

Marissa squealed. "Why?"

"We were doing a scene and he need to show Adam how to do it."

"Oh, I bet that was fun."

"Yeah, kissing him is always fun, though."

Summer took a big bite of ice cream, and heard a knock at her door. "Uh, Coop, can I call you back?"

"Yeah. Love you, Sum."

"Love you," she said, hanging up the phone, standing up, and going to the door.

"Cohen," she said, when she saw who was at the door, "shouldn't you be at your concert?"

He nodded his head. "But I felt bad when you left."

"Did you really? Because I could have sworn you were too wrapped up in other things, or should I say other girls? To notice me."

"Yeah, I'm sorry."

Summer could tell that he wasn't totally sober. She crossed her arms in front of her chest. "What do you want, Cohen?"

"Well…,"

"What?"

"I was thinking about that kiss."

Summer turned red, and looked down at the floor. She felt Seth getting closer to her.He put his index finger under her chin and lifted her face up to meet his eyes. She smiled at him. He leaned in closer, and kissed her soft lips. Their foreheads collided together, and he rubbed his nose with hers. She smiled at his cuteness.

"I love you," he whispered.

She nodded. "No, don't say that."

"But it's true."

She nodded again. "Let's take things slow this time, Cohen."

He kissed her again, lifting her up around his waist, and carrying her to the couch. They made out for a while, and when he began kissing her neck, she stopped him. "Cohen," she breathed.

"I know. I just wanna sleep with you tonight."

She smiled. "Okay," she said, getting out from underneath him, grabbing his hand, and leading him to her bedroom.

The carton of ice cream left out on her coffee table was forgotten, and when Marissa called back an hour later, Summer was already fast asleep in Seth's embrace.

**A/N: Review!**


	9. 3685

**Sunsets & Car Crashes**

**Chapter 9**

'3685'

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait. It's Christmas Break, and I am finally not swamped with a million things to do.**

_I would like to thank you, for showing me  
A part of myself that I have never seen_

Seth, Summer, and Ava stood in the airport waiting for Marissa to get off her plane. Both were quite surprised when she called, requesting they pick her up.

"Have you talked to Ryan at all?" Summer asked him.

"Nope, I've been so busy with everything, we've barely talked. Do you think that's why she's coming back?"

Summer shrugged. "I don't know, I just have this bad feeling."

"It'll be okay, sweetie," he said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. She smiled. Seth hardly ever showed affection towards her in public because of their business life together. She knew it was risky, but she couldn't help but feel happy when he gave everyone else a signal around them that she was his.

Marissa stopped as she saw the warm embrace between Seth and Summer. Ava was in Seth's arms, and with the three of them standing there, they looked like a family. Ava could have easily passed as Summer's daughter. Marissa smiled at their cuteness, but her smile dissipated when she saw a photographer snap a picture of the three. That would surely end up in some gossip magazine, raising hell for both Seth and Summer. She walked up to her best friends.

"You guys better be careful," she said, pointing to the photographer. They turned around quickly, and Seth sighed. Summer shrugged. They had been dating for almost 3 months now, it was bound to happen. A girl who looked about 15 or so, walked up with a piece of paper for Summer to autograph. She did it quickly without being rude, and walked off to baggage claim.

* * *

"So Coop," Summer said, sitting cross-legged on her bed, "tell me what's going on with you and Atwood."

Marissa rolled her eyes, and sat down next to her best friend. "Well, for starters, I guess I should tell you that we broke up."

"What? Why? What happened?"

"It turns out Kate really is pregnant. She told Ryan a couple weeks ago, and he just told me the other day. She's about 3 months along now."

"Wow."

"Yeah, tell me about it. So, I, of course, freaked out when he told me. I even made an accusation that the baby wasn't his. He got angry when I said that, but it makes sense. She's always going on these little vacations for days at a time, and I guess Ryan's been too wrapped up in me to notice. But I'm a girl, it's my job to notice these things."

"Obviously."

"So, we ended up getting in this huge fight about it. I told him that he had to tell Kate about me and demand a paternity test or we were done."

"And?"

"And he said he wasn't going to ask Kate for a paternity test because it would show her that he doubted her commitment to him. I told him that it was obvious that he really didn't give a fuck about commitment. That of course, made him even more angry, so I told him I was done."

"Coop."

"Summer, I'm really okay. I mean, I love Ryan, but if he can't end his marriage for me, and actually be in a real relationship with me, I don't deserve that. I deserve so much better than sneaking around all the time."

"You're right," Summer said, stroking her hair. She heard the front door open and walked out of the room to greet Seth. She kissed him. Ava walked in behind him. "I talked to Ryan," he said, giving her a look.

"Yeah, I just talked to Marissa. It just feels so surreal, you know? It was always supposed to just be us four, and now, Ryan has a wife that's not Marissa with a baby on the way, you have a daughter with another woman; not that I'm saying I don't love Ava, it's just everything's so different now."

He kissed her forehead. "I know."

They sat in silence for a while, holding hands and enjoying each other's company. It was a cold New York evening, and Summer thought of no place better she'd rather be. She of course felt bad for her best friend, who was holed up in the guest bedroom probably crying her eyes out. But if Summer knew Marissa at all, and she did, Marissa just wanted to be alone for a while.

"Sum?"

Summer was shaken out of her thoughts by Seth's whisper.

"Yeah?" She replied, turning around to face him. He wrapped his skinny arms even tighter around her.

"Tomorrow I'm making an announcement at work about you and I."

Summer's eyes got wide. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"It's bound to happen sooner or later. I mean, there's cameras everywhere taking pictures of us, people have been suspecting, and plus, I'm tired of hiding it from everybody. I want to be able to kiss you in public and let everybody know that you're my girlfriend. I love you."

Summer smiled. "I love you, too. Tomorrow at work, huh?"

He kissed her. "Yeah, tomorrow at work."

* * *

About a week later, Summer came home from the set to find the house a mess. There were clothes everywhere, and after taking a good look around, she discovered none of them were hers. Marissa walked out of her bedroom looking distressed.

"Thank god you're home. I need help."

"You need a maid, it looks like, because I am not cleaning this mess up."

"I'll clean it up, don't worry. Summer, I have a date tonight, and it's really important."

"Whoa. You have a date? Didn't you break up with Ryan, like, I don't know, a week ago?"

"That's besides the point. Obviously Ryan doesn't care about me, so the sooner I get over it, the better."

Summer sighed. Relationships like this were so unhealthy and immature. "Marissa, you do realize that if you go on this date tonight, Seth's going to know about it, and he will tell Ryan."

"I'm fully aware of that fact, Summer, thank you. And of course Seth is going to know about it, because you two are coming with me."

Summer furrowed her brow at her best friend. What had happened to her? It was like something popped in her brain and she was this new sophisticated Marissa. "Excuse me? We're not going on a date with you and some random guy."

Marissa shook her head. "It's not some random guy. Seth knows him. In fact, Seth set us up. So, I guess Seth already knows about this little arrangement. Now will you please go put on something suitable for dinner and dancing? I might just have to go into your closet."

"Coop, I'm like 5'2", you're 5'11". Big height difference there."

"Go. Now."

Summer rolled her eyes and walked back out of Marissa's room. She spotted Seth on the couch with Ava. She put her hands on her hips and walked over to them. "You set her up on a date? How could you do that without talking to me first?"

Seth looked confused. "I didn't know Marissa needed dating permission from you. And I did it because it's obvious she needs to have a little fun every once in a while. Don't you want that for her?"

"Of course I do. It just seems a little soon. Now, who is this guy?"

"Ben from work."

"Ben as in the guy who plays Ryan's character on the show? Ben as in the guy who looks oddly like Ryan? Seth, are you stupid?"

"No, but thanks for the vote of confidence."

"You're not staying here tonight. Go get dressed. Apparently you were also stupid enough to agree to go on this date."

"I'm waiting for Ava's mom to get here. And my clothes are already out on your bed."

"I'll be sure to throw them out here amongst all the other shit," she said as she began walking into her bedroom, "oh and Cohen?"

"Yes?" He said, looking hopeful.

"Until you find some way to get Ryan and Marissa back together, or at least together _somehow_, no sex."

Seth opened his mouth to argue, but decided it was no use. Summer was serious. "Bitch," he muttered.

"I'll take that as a compliment, ass hole," she responded, throwing his clothes out in the hall.

* * *

Later on at dinner, Summer and Seth sat there awkwardly not speaking to each other, listening to Marissa and Ben converse. They talked about typical first date stuff, and Summer rolled her eyes as she got more and more bored.

At the end of the night, much to Summer's displeasure, Marissa went home with Ben, and that added to Summer's dislike for Seth.

They arrived back at the apartment; probably the first time they had had the apartment all to themselves in a while, and the first thing Summer did was throw Seth blankets for him to sleep on the couch.

"Sum, don't you think you're overreacting a little bit?"

"That may be so, Seth, but I'm still pissed, so until I'm not mad, you're sleeping on the couch!" She yelled back, and in a huff, she walked into her bedroom.

Seth gave her a little smirk behind her back. For some reason, when Summer was really pissed, it turned him on. He set the blankets on the couch and stripped down to his boxers. He grabbed the remote and turned on the TV, and heard Summer getting in the bath. He rolled his eyes. The only time she enjoyed baths was when it was with him.

Before Seth knew it, his eyes were slowly drooping closed. It was 2 AM when he heard a lock click in the door, and Marissa came in. He could tell she was trying to tip toe, so he loudly cleared his throat. He laughed when it appeared like she had jumped out of her skin. "Hey, Riss," he said, with a grin.

"Hey. Sorry, I thought you and Sum would be asleep. Why are you on the couch?"

"Summer's gone on one of her rampages again, and she's decided to take it out on me. I'm only waiting for her to cave in about, oh, I'd give it 5 minutes."

Marissa chuckled. "Okay, good night, Seth."

"Coop?"

Marissa turned around again and saw Summer in her bathrobe. Seth noted that this obviously meant she was sleeping naked.

"What are you doing home?" She asked, trying not to pry.

"Ben and I just watched a movie and had a glass of wine. What, were you expecting me to be there the whole night? God, Sum, it's not like I was going to have sex with him on the first date."

"Well, no, but I just thought—"

"You thought what? That I'm a big slut?"

"No, Coop, that's not what I thought."

"Good. I'm going to bed."

Both Seth and Summer said good night at the same time, and this brought Summer's attention to Seth. She stood there for a few minutes staring at him, and he stared back. Summer rolled her eyes and turned around. "Come to bed, Cohen," she said, and he could tell by her words that she had a smile on her face.

He ran towards her and picked her up, running towards what had immediately become their bedroom. He laid her down on the bed and attacked her with his kisses. "I knew you couldn't go one night without me."

"Yeah, yeah, Cohen, just kiss me."

"Oh, I'm planning to do more than that, baby."

She smiled. "Okay, but we have to be quiet."

"Shouldn't I be the one telling you that?"

"Oh very funny, Cohen," she said, giggling, and shoving his face away.


End file.
